Preoperative Visual Measures of Verbal Learning and Memory and their Relations to Speech Recognition After Cochlear Implantation.

This study examined the performance of a group of adult cochlear implant (CI) candidates (CIC) on visual tasks of verbal learning and memory. Pre-operative verbal learning and memory abilities of the CIC group were compared with a group of older normal-hearing (ONH) control participants. Relations between pre-operative verbal learning and memory measures and speech recognition outcomes after 6 months of CI use were also investigated for a subgroup of the CICs. A group of 80 older adult participants completed a visually presented multi-trial free recall task. Measures of word recall, repetition learning, and the use of self-generated organizational strategies were collected from a group of 49 CICs, prior to cochlear implantation, and a group of 31 ONH controls. Speech recognition outcomes were also collected from a subgroup of 32 of the CIC participants who returned for testing six months after CI activation. CICs demonstrated poorer verbal learning performance compared to the group of ONH control participants. Among the pre-operative verbal learning and memory measures, repetition learning slope and measures of self-generated organizational clustering strategies were the strongest predictors of post-CI speech recognition outcomes. Older adult CI candidates present with verbal learning and memory deficits compared to older adults without hearing loss, even on visual tasks that are independent from the direct effects of audibility. Pre-operative verbal learning and memory processes reflecting repetition learning and self-generated organizational strategies in free recall were associated with speech recognition outcomes six months after implantation. The pattern of results suggests that visual measures of verbal learning may be a useful predictor of outcomes in post-lingual adult CICs.

本研究检测了一组成年人工耳蜗植入（CI）候选者（CIC）在言语学习和记忆的视觉任务中的表现。将CIC组术前的言语学习和记忆能力与一组年龄较大的听力正常（ONH）对照组参与者进行了比较。还对CIC组的一个亚组研究了术前言语学习和记忆测量指标与使用人工耳蜗6个月后的言语识别结果之间的关系。 80名年龄较大的成年参与者完成了一项视觉呈现的多次尝试自由回忆任务。在人工耳蜗植入前，从49名CIC和31名ONH对照组中收集了单词回忆、重复学习以及自行生成组织策略的使用情况等测量指标。还从32名在人工耳蜗激活6个月后回来接受测试的CIC参与者亚组中收集了言语识别结果。 与ONH对照组参与者相比，CIC表现出较差的言语学习能力。在术前言语学习和记忆测量指标中，重复学习斜率和自行生成组织聚类策略的测量指标是人工耳蜗植入后言语识别结果的最强预测因素。 与没有听力损失的老年人相比，老年人工耳蜗候选者存在言语学习和记忆缺陷，即使是在不受可听度直接影响的视觉任务中也是如此。反映自由回忆中重复学习和自行生成组织策略的术前言语学习和记忆过程与植入6个月后的言语识别结果相关。研究结果模式表明，言语学习的视觉测量指标可能是语后成年CIC结果的有用预测因素。