Understanding the Benefits of Electric-acoustic Stimulation

描述（由申请人提供）：许多耳聋或严重听力受损的人可以使用人工耳蜗（CI）在安静的环境中理解语言，人工耳蜗通过电流直接刺激听神经。然而，即使是少量的背景噪音，他们的言语理解能力也会显著下降。对于那些有一些低频听力残余的人来说，电声结合刺激（EAS）可以显著提高背景噪声下的言语理解能力。目标说话者的基频（F0）变化和低频幅值包络是影响EAS效果的重要信号。本研究的长期目标是促进对低频声刺激与电刺激如何结合以提高听力困难情况下的言语理解的理解，并为那些可能获得有限或没有好处的个体提高EAS效益。一个长期目标是开发一种可穿戴的实时处理器，可以更有效地向CI用户提供低频语音提示。具体目标是：(1)增加已经显示获益的CI患者的EAS获益量；(2)为其他通常很少或没有获益的CI患者提供EAS；(3)理解为什么一些CI患者没有从EAS中受益，即使他们的听力测试结果表明他们可能受益。这项工作有可能将EAS的好处扩展到那些没有足够的残余听力来显示EAS好处的CI用户，并增强那些有EAS好处的人的EAS好处。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many deaf or severely hearing-impaired individuals can understand speech in quiet environments using a cochlear implant (CI), which stimulates the auditory nerve directly with electrical current. However, their speech understanding typically declines significantly in even small amounts of background noise. For those who have some residual low-frequency hearing, the combination of electric and acoustic stimulation (EAS) can significantly improve speech understanding in background noise. Fundamental frequency (F0) variation and low-frequency amplitude envelope of the target talker are important cues for EAS benefit. The broad long-term goals of the proposed research are to advance the understanding of how low-frequency acoustic stimulation combines with electric stimulation to enhance speech understanding in difficult listening situations, and to enhance EAS benefit for individuals who might otherwise receive limited or no benefit. One long-term goal is to develop a wearable real-time processor that can deliver low-frequency speech cues to CI users more effectively. The specific aims are to (1) to increase the amount of EAS benefit to CI patients who already show a benefit; (2) To provide EAS benefit other CI patients who show little or no benefit typically; and (3) understand why some CI patients do not benefit from EAS, even when their audiometric results suggest they might. This work has the potential to extend the benefits of EAS to those CI users who do not possess enough residual hearing to show an EAS benefit typically, and to enhance the EAS benefit for those who do.