Listening effort is an important outcome for understanding the benefits of hearing aids and their features, particularly in noisy listening conditions. However, there is limited consensus from the research / clinical community on the most effective ways to measure listening effort. In this presentation, we will explore a relatively new neuroimaging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and assess its ability to measure areas in the brain associated with listening effort. We will review a series of studies showing fNIRS’ ability to measure cortical benefits of amplification and AI-based noise management. We will also discuss technical details behind fNIRS and how to consider our research findings in hearing contexts.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify areas of the brain associated with listening effort.
- Define functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and describe contexts in which it is sensitive to hearing aid use.
- Interpret how research on listening effort using fNIRS might inform counseling on hearing aid benefits in practice.
