# Binaural Processing and Spatial Hearing: Effects of Age and Hearing Loss

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2022 · $504,200

## Abstract

The ability to make sense of sound relies, in some measure, on the fidelity with which the temporal information
within that sound is encoded in the auditory system and interpreted by the brain. One facet of hearing where
temporal processing plays an important role is spatial hearing. Good binaural hearing confers advantages such
as spatial release from masking, which is the benefit to masked speech intelligibility of separating the target
and masker speech sources in space. Older listeners – even those with ‘near-normal’ hearing – tend to have
compromised binaural temporal processing and exhibit less binaural advantage. Determining the factors that
underlie this is key to understanding the constraints on the abilities of older listeners to communicate and
function in the spatially and acoustically complex soundscape of our every-day environment. The purpose of
this project is to obtain a comprehensive characterization of the spatial hearing abilities of adults across a wide
age range, with a particular emphasis on differentiating effects of age and hearing loss. This will have
particular relevance to understanding the hearing difficulties of older listeners with otherwise ‘near-normal’
hearing. Specific Aims focus on binaural temporal processing and spatialized speech-in-speech recognition,
particularly under dynamic conditions. The approach uniquely combines behavioral and electrophysiological
measures, and also incorporates the listener’s cognitive profile. The findings will advance our understanding of
the benefits of spatial hearing, and the dependence of these benefits on the fidelity of temporal information
available to the listener. These outcomes will be directly relevant to the public health challenge of addressing
the communication difficulties experienced by the burgeoning older population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10366194
- **Project number:** 1R01DC019444-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** John H Grose
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $504,200
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-12-01 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10366194

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10366194, Binaural Processing and Spatial Hearing: Effects of Age and Hearing Loss (1R01DC019444-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10366194. Licensed CC0.

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