Perceptual consequences of cochlear implant

项目描述 耳蜗植入物是非常成功的神经假体，可以增强或恢复严重听力障碍者的听力。 听力受损。然而，耳蜗植入者的表现差异很大，特别是在 噪声环境和频谱复杂的刺激，如音乐。我们开发了快速可靠的工具， 评估感知反应的模式，这些模式可以很好地预测性能结果的变化。这些 在成人中建立的新程序将允许首次系统地调查单通道 人工耳蜗植入儿童的听力表现及其相关性。的 研究结果将指导改进为听众量身定制的编程方法，从而改善听力 能力. 提出了三个目标：1）开发和评估制造商定制的人工耳蜗植入编程，基于 选择通道的聚焦或去激活，这将提高复杂听力任务的表现; 2） 评估慢性听力体验在多大程度上提高了听力表现， 策略; 3）建立我们对语前聋基本心理物理测量的初步理解 和早期植入的儿童，以确定最佳途径，为儿科， 接近。 这些研究的结果有望推进我们对人工耳蜗植入应该如何 被编程为最好地传递光谱挑战刺激。最终，这些发现可能会改善 儿童和成人人工耳蜗植入者的功能结果，并深入了解 听觉系统通过耳蜗植入物的改变输入而发展。

Project Description Cochlear implants are highly successful neural prostheses that enhance or restore hearing to the severely hearing impaired. However, performance varies considerably among cochlear implant listeners, particularly in noisy environments and for spectrally complex stimuli like music. We have developed fast and reliable tools to assess patterns of perceptual responses that are fairly predictive of variability in performance outcomes. These new procedures, established in adults, will allow for the first systematic investigation of single-channel performance measures and their relation to listening performance in children with cochlear implants. The results will guide the refinement of listener-tailored programming methods, leading to improvements in listening abilities. Three aims are proposed: 1) to develop and assess listener-tailored cochlear implant programming, based on the focusing or deactivation of select channels, that will improve performance on complex listening tasks; 2) to assess the degree to which chronic listening experience enhances performance with listener-tailored strategies; and 3) to establish our first understanding of basic psychophysical measures in prelingually deaf and early implanted children to define the best route towards pediatric, listener-tailored programming approaches. The results of these studies are expected to advance our understanding of how cochlear implants should be programmed to best deliver spectrally challenging stimuli. Ultimately, the findings may lead to improved functional outcomes for both pediatric and adult cochlear implant listeners and provide insight into how the auditory system develops with altered input through a cochlear implant.