DEVELOPING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF BRAIN ACTIVITY TO OPTIMISE COCHLEAR IMPLANT OUTCOMES

对于听力不足以有效使用助听器的人来说，人工耳蜗植入物可以提供很大的好处，尽管它们不能恢复正常的听力。耳蜗植入物通过手术植入内耳（耳蜗）的一组电极直接刺激听觉神经。虽然人工耳蜗植入是一个巨大的成功，在语音感知的结果观察范围广泛。该研究计划的目的是减少性能的变化，以及提高所有人实现的语音识别水平。我们建议通过使用一种特殊的机器来测量耳蜗植入用户对声音的大脑活动来实现这一目标。这种技术在临床实践中经常使用，需要戴一顶特殊的帽子来进行记录。我们将用这种方法记录耳蜗和大脑之间听觉系统不同部位的反应。通过理解这些反应和言语理解之间的关系，将有助于我们理解听觉通路中不同阶段的重要性。这些措施将使我们能够观察一旦人工耳蜗植入启动后发生的大脑变化。我们将定义可供临床医生用于指导植入物安装和康复的“生物标志物”。生物标志物是对身体典型变化的客观测量。我们将制定指导，以调整通过人工耳蜗发送声音的方式或关闭电极。对于那些双侧人工耳蜗植入者，我们还将制定调整植入物的指导方针，使每只耳朵的声音更加相似，以改善耳朵协同工作的方式。这项研究将对成人和儿童进行，以充分了解人们如何通过人工耳蜗植入物听到声音。

For people with insufficient hearing to effectively use hearing aids, cochlear implants can provide great benefit, although they do not restore normal hearing. Cochlear implants stimulate the hearing nerve directly with electrical currents from a set of electrodes surgically implanted into the inner ear (cochlea). Although cochlear implants are a great success, a wide range in speech perception outcomes are observed.The aim of this programme of research is to reduce the variability in performance as well as increasing the levels of speech recognition achieved by all. We propose to achieve this by using a special machine to measure brain activity in response to sound for cochlear implant users. This technique is used routinely in clinical practice and involves wearing a special hat to make the recordings. We will use this method to record responses at different parts of the hearing system between cochlea and brain. By understanding the relationship between these responses and speech understanding it will help us to appreciate the importance of different stages in the hearing pathway. These measures will allow us to observe the brain changes that take place once cochlear implants are switched on. We will define 'biomarkers' that can be used by clinicians to guide implant fitting and rehabilitation. A biomarker is an objective measurement of typical changes in the body.We will develop guidance for adjusting the ways that sounds are sent through the cochlear implant or for switching off electrodes. For those with bilateral cochlear implants we will also develop guidelines for adjusting the implants to make the sounds more similar in each ear to improve the way that the ears work together. This research will be conducted with both adults and children to fully understand how people hear with a cochlear implant.