VA Loma Linda Auditory Research Group

This group includes Principal Investigators with expertise spanning multiple areas of hearing research including cochlear mechanics, ototoxicity, auditory physiology, and patient-centered research on hearing loss, functional hearing difficulties, and hearing aid fitting and design. The group works hand-in-hand with the VALLHCS Audiology Clinic to ensure our audiologists have access to the latest scientific advancements in diagnostics, treatment, and functional rehabilitation for auditory disorders.

BACKGROUND

The Auditory Research Group at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCS) was established in 2013 by Dr. Marjorie Leek, who came to VALLHCS after a highly productive career as a research audiologist and senior hearing scientist at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Audiology and Speech Pathology Center and a founding member of the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research at the VA Portland Healthcare System.

Auditory disorders, including hearing loss and tinnitus are the two of the most prevalent service-connected disabilities within the VA healthcare system, accounting for nearly 5 million recipients of VA benefits and hundreds of millions of dollars a year for audiological services and compensation. As our population ages, the number of Veterans with significant hearing disorders will continue to grow. The Auditory Research Group investigates the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing and related perceptual disabilities among Veterans.

The effects of hearing loss on Veterans can be devastating, leading to social isolation, loss of income, and significant problems communicating with family, friends, co-workers and other significant persons as the ability to understand speech becomes difficult. Over the years, our group has contributed new knowledge regarding auditory processing of speech and other important communication signals, leading to advancements in hearing aids and other treatments. We have garnered significant national funding in support of our research from agencies such as VA, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense.

MISSION

Provide Veterans with the opportunity to participate in meaningful auditory research.
Promote development of diagnostics, treatments, and rehabilitative strategies to address the unique and complex needs of Veterans with auditory disorders.
Improve access to audiological care for Veterans and train the next generation of audiologists and hearing scientists to meet the growing need for VA audiological care.
Leverage the latest advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide better and more efficient audiological care for Veterans.

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Clinical auditory research at VALLHCS is currently focused on the following areas:

Clinical trials testing novel strategies for hearing aid fitting and signal processing
Using psychoacoustics and electrophysiology to develop better diagnostic tools for age- and noise-related hearing loss
Using neuroimaging to understand the brain systems underlying functional hearing difficulties in blast-exposed Veterans
Leveraging artificial intelligence for earlier identification and diagnosis of auditory disorders

Other collaborative organizations are the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, and University of California, San Diego.

Current VALLHCS Auditory Research Investigators:

Jonathan Venezia, Ph.D.

Hongzhe Li, Ph.D.

Wei Dong, Ph.D.

Jeffrey Rumschlag, Ph.D.

Oren Poliva, Ph.D.

Audiology Research Coordinator:

Akai McKinley, contact

Benefits of speech-based audiometry and low-gain hearing aids for blast-exposed This study is to learn if wearing low-gain hearing aids will provide improvement in speech understanding in background noise for blast-exposed Veterans. The study will also test a novel hearing aid fitting process based on user preferences for different speech amplification profiles that may lead to improved success with hearing aids. By doing this study, we hope to improve treatments for Veterans who have trouble hearing and understanding speech, especially in settings with background noise.

Comparison of speech- and audiogram-based hearing aid fitting procedures The purpose of this research study is to learn if a novel hearing aid fitting process based on user preferences for different speech amplification profiles may lead to improved success with hearing aids. This new process is called Speech Based Audiometry. Much like fitting for prescription eyeglasses, the new procedure asks you to make a series of judgments, such as asking if you prefer profile A or profile B, about which of two hearing aid profiles makes speech sound clearer and more intelligible. By doing this study, we hope to improve treatments for Veterans who have trouble hearing and understanding speech especially in settings with background noise, even while wearing their current hearing aids.

Individual Differences in Color Vision Assessed with Chromatic Textures The purpose of this research study is to learn how to better characterize how people may differ in their ability to process color. Information learned from this study will lead to a better understanding of differences in color vision among younger and older Veterans and may lead to development of diagnostic tests and treatments in color vision deficits caused by normal aging or insult to the nervous system such as in Traumatic Brain Injury.

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

The VALLHCS several translational auditory research laboratories. Their purposes include the study of fundamental mechanisms in auditory disorders, development of mobile non-invasive tools for imaging middle and inner ear structures, and the evaluation of novel agents to protect against ototoxicity and noise-induced hearing loss.