Auditory Function in Patients With and Without Multiple Sclerosis

June 2, 2008 updated by: US Department of Veterans Affairs
We propose to evaluate auditory function and neuropsychologic function in 150 Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and in 150 patients who do not have MS. Experimental subjects will be recruited by selecting patients with a verified diagnosis of MS from the registry of patients established by the Oregon Health Sciences University, Multiple Sclerosis Research Center. Control subjects will be matched with respect to age, to gender and to audiometric configuration.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

This study will compare the prevalence and nature of hearing dysfunction in patients with MS and in a group of control subjects without MS. The work will address three main goals:

  1. Evaluating the possibility that MS is a risk factor for hearing impairment, tinnitus and central auditory dysfunction.
  2. Determining the nature and the extent of auditory dysfunction in individuals with MS compared to those without MS; and determining neuropsychological function in each group.
  3. Evaluating the extent to which disability in individuals with MS may be amplified by the presence of auditory dysfunction.

Measurements of auditory function and psychometric performance will be compared between MS patients and control subjects without MS. These subjects will come to the Portland VAMC for four sessions of comprehensive auditory and psychometric testing. Additional information on disease history and status, hearing history, and current-disability status will be obtained.

Subjects The patient group (Group 1) will consist of 150 patients with diagnosed MS, recruited at the MS Center of Oregon. For this group, inclusion criteria for each patient will include: (1) a clinical or laboratory supported diagnosis of "definite MS" (Poser, et al., 1983); (2) a diagnosis of relapsing, remitting or secondary progressive MS; (3) A Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) of 0 to 7.0, inclusive; (4) no history of a clinical relapse or change in EDSS for three months preceding entry into the study; and (5) a brain MRI scan (within the preceding year) that shows at least three white-matter lesions on T2-weighted images consistent with MS.

The control group (Group 2) will consist of 150 subjects without MS who are matched to the patient group with respect to age (± 5 years), to gender and to audiometric configuration (within ±10 dB Hearing Level for the octave test frequencies from 500 through 8000 Hz). Subjects in Group 2 will be recruited from the VA audiology clinic and from a cohort of more than 360 subjects and patients who have been used as controls in five other studies. Both males and non-pregnant females will be recruited in equal numbers. Minority individuals will be recruited in accordance with recommendations for proportional minority representation established by the Office of Human Research Accountability and the Minority Affairs Program. The protocols will be explained verbally by the investigators, and restated in consent forms approved by the VA IRB, and signed by the subject, by the investigator and by a witness.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

300

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Oregon
      • Portland, Oregon, United States
        • VA Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Multiple Sclerosis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • David Wolff, Ph.D. Special Assistant to the Director, Program Analysis and Review Section (PARS), VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service
  • Danielle Kerkovitch, Ph.D., Program Analysis and Review Section (PARS), VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2001

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 24, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 24, 2002

First Posted (Estimate)

May 27, 2002

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 4, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 2, 2008

Last Verified

June 1, 2008

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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