Grant Funding: NIH R01: mHealth Technologies for Assessing Hearing Disorders
Project Abstract Sound Sensitivity and Tolerance (SST) disorders represent an urgent public health challenge in hearing disorders, affecting over 350,000 new patients annually in the United States with an economic burden exceeding $14 billion. While SST frequently co-occurs with conditions like autism spectrum disorder, PTSD, and migraine, current clinical assessment methods remain largely subjective and inaccessible, particularly for underserved populations. Recent research shows that Auditory Pupillary Response (APR) provides a promising objective biomarker for SST, as affected individuals exhibit distinct pupillary reactions to sound stimuli. However, measuring APR currently requires expensive clinical equipment and controlled laboratory settings, creating significant barriers to widespread adoption. This project aims to transform SST assessment through AudioSight, an innovative smartphone-based system that enables accessible, objective measurement of APR. Building on our preliminary data showing clear APR differentiation between SST patients…