The Starkey Hearing Research Center (SHRC) is a division of Starkey Laboratories that conducts long-term research in an academic-type scientific environment. Its focus is primarily on auditory perceptual science and signal processing technology for the development of new evidence-based signal processing algorithms, new diagnostic-based fitting procedures, and new validation approaches to benefit people with hearing impairment.
In May, summaries of many of its recent research initiatives were posted on SHRC's website www.starkeyhearingresearch.com/research_updates.htm. These include two presentations given by SHRC researchers at the 2008 AudiologyNow! conference, as well as summaries of many other ongoing projects. An overview of the new lectures, presentations and research updates underscores the center's diverse expertise encompassing engineering, audiology, neurophysiology, psychoacoustics, cochlear implants and signal processing. The new published research includes topics as wide-ranging as auditory scene analysis, cognition and hearing, listening effort, spatial segregation of speech, and others.
Although the center is focused on long-term scientific research, many of the studies posted have current clinical relevance. One such study looks at binaural listening and the use of spatial cues by individuals with hearing loss. This study, by research audiologist Nazanin Nooraei and principal investigator Sridhar Kalluri, highlights the critical importance of preserving spatial cues with amplification. Another posted summary with clinical significance reports on the results of a new advanced noise reduction system in both laboratory studies and field trials.
In addition, SHRC's continued interest and innovation in the genetic algorithm is evidenced by its recent postings. The genetic algorithm is a research tool for optimizing varied complex parameters of hearing aid signal processing simultaneously in a time-efficient manner. In addition to the center's published research on the genetic algorithm in Ear and Hearing and the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, new studies posted to the SHRC website indicate accurate and efficient results with this approach. The genetic algorithm has clinical potential to optimize advanced features in hearing aids, and assist in fine-tuning hearing aid parameters in difficult to fit hearing-impaired populations.
SHRC publishes its research as part of its collaborative efforts in partnership with universities and other fields where there is potential expertise to the benefit the hearing impaired. In doing so, SHRC leads the industry in an evidence-based approach to hearing aid development and supports the National Institute of Health's translational research initiative.
More about Starkey Hearing Research Center and its recent initiatives can be found at www.starkeyhearingresearch.com or the Starkey Web Channel on Audiology Online.
