Normal Values in Hearing and Balance Testing

Background:

\- Researchers at the National Institutes of Health give many tests of hearing and balance. These tests can help detect problems that affect hearing or balance. It is important to know exactly how healthy people perform on each of these tests. This information will indicate when a test result is normal and when a test result shows a problem. Researchers also want to determine the best methods for each test.

Objectives:

\- To test different types of hearing and balance tests, and collect information on normal values for each test.

Eligibility:

\- Healthy volunteers between 5 and 80 years of age.

Design:

* This study will require a single visit to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. It will include both screening tests and study tests of hearing and balance. Sometimes, a second visit may be required if a test is designed to measure the same thing on 2 different days. Each visit will last between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the number of tests scheduled per visit. * Participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will also have basic tests to check for normal hearing and balance. * Participants may have different hearing tests, including the following: * Auditory Evoked Potentials to study how the ears and brain handle sound information. * Auditory Processing Tests to study how a person processes complex sounds like speech in background noise. * Tests of middle ear and inner ear function. * Participants may have different balance and inner ear tests, including the following: * Balance test on a tilting platform. * Different tests to measure how well the eyes, ears, and brain work together to help maintain balance. * Treatment will not be needed as part of this study.