IOWA COCHLEAR IMPLANT PROJECT

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Iowa Cochlear Implant program has been engaged in clinical outcomes research studying cochlear implants in children and adults for many years. Speech perception with cochlear implants has improved over the years to the point where selection criteria for implant consideration is poorly defined. The focus of the current study, therefore, is to refine the criteria for cochlear implantation. The overall goals of this research are to: 1) study expansion of selection criteria for implantation to include adults with more hearing and earlier implantation in children; 2) develop a reliable evaluation strategy including accurate assessment of auditory thresholds to determine if a child is a candidate for a cochlear implant by 12 months of age; 3) develop and evaluate novel signal processing for speech perception and music appreciation; 4) evaluate the combination of electrical signal processing and acoustical amplification in adults with more residual hearing using a newly designed short electrode implant; 5) refine and expand the use of electrophysiologic measures to improve fitting of existing and high rate speech processors for young children and adults; 6) assess the communication outcomes (speech production, language, reading, writing, and music appreciation) of children with hearing impairment using hearing aids and those with implants to determine if implant selection criteria should be expanded to include children with more hearing; 7) study the benefits of binaural cochlear implants; 8) determine the factors that affect the long-term benefit of cochlear implants in children and adults; 9) examine the relations among psychophysical, psychological, speech perception measures, and perceptual accuracy, and appraisal in complex music listening tasks; 10) to examine the impact of systematic music training versus long term cochlear implant use on music perception and appraisal; and 11) assess the impact of prelingual versus postlingual onset of deafness on music perception and appraisal.