Grant: Project Grant

Over half of Canadians aged 40+ experience hearing loss, which impacts communication, social participation, and quality of life. Hearing aids help, but even with amplified residual hearing, users still face challenges with speech in noise and music perception due to device limits and changes in brain function related to hearing loss. While previous studies suggest that the sense of touch can be used to complement speech and music perception, few assistive technologies make use of vibrotactile input. Limited adoption of this potentially helpful technology is mainly due to insufficient research, and more specifically, to an incomplete understanding of how tactile input enhances auditory perception. To address these gaps in knowledge, our team developed vibrotactile gloves, a wearable device enabling advanced research using neuroimaging. Neural mechanisms behind the brain's integration of auditory and tactile information during simultaneous stimulation are poorly understood, and this project aims to fill that gap by guiding the development of more effective technologies. This research program will explore how the brain processes sound and touch through three studies: investigating the relation between brain's temporal encoding of basic sound features (Study 1) and hearing loss, the patterns of brain activation for complex stimuli (like speech and music) (Study 2), and whether training to use the vibrotactile glove (Study 3) can improve perception of sounds. Our research uses cutting-edge technologies to examine brain activity, including EEG, intracranial recordings, and fMRI. The last phase of the third study will also look into how factors such as age, and hearing loss can influence training effectiveness, aiming to inform personalized approaches in clinical practice. This project will enhance our understanding of sensory integration and brain plasticity, providing essential insights to develop compensatory technologies and improve auditory rehabilitation strategies.