Individuals invited to participate in audiology study

The NIU Human Auditory Physiology Lab (HAPL) is looking for individuals to participate in a project designed to examine how changes in cognition following concussion affect a person’s ability to function in complex auditory environments, like a noisy classroom.

Matt Wilson, associate professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders and director of the HAPL, said they are looking for native English speakers between the ages of 14-40, with normal hearing, who may or may not have a history of diagnosed concussion. In addition, individuals who wish to participate cannot have any of the following:

• Drug/alcohol dependency.
• Clinically diagnosed ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, etc. (unless caused by injury).
• Clinically diagnosed depression and/or anxiety (unless caused by injury).
• Significant brain injury that required overnight hospitalization.

Participation includes a brief case history, hearing evaluation, neurocognitive testing and measuring brain activity under a variety of conditions using tiny electrodes placed on the scalp. The study consists of a single session, which will last up to three hours. Individuals who meet all eligibility criteria and complete all parts of the study will be compensated up to $60 for their time.

All testing takes place at the NIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, 3100 Sycamore Road, DeKalb. If interested or you have additional questions, please contact Matt Wilson at mwilson@niu.edu.