FEATURES OF STIMULATION IMPORTANT FOR ELECTRICAL HEARING

描述：(根据申请者的摘要)在过去五年中，听觉假体研究中最令人兴奋的进展之一是我们的实验室和其他实验室证明，植入人工耳蜗的语音识别可以受到传送到植入物各个通道的电刺激配置的显著影响。这项提议的目标是使用语音识别和心理物理措施来确定电刺激的特定空间配置的功能效果。我们将在以前的研究基础上扩展，以确定不同配置的电信号对其最有效的处理策略和刺激类型。将使用装有Nucleus 22、Nucleus 24M和Clarion假体的人体受试者。心理物理测量将包括脉搏频率、调制频率、电极位置和强度的不同界限。语音识别测试的刺激将包括在安静和噪声中测试的音素、单词和完整的句子。这些研究将以特定电流配置产生的中枢神经兴奋的空间范围和模式的模型为指导。将获得各种配置的心理物理阈值、响度和间隙检测数据，这些数据已被建议用于反映神经激活的扩散。这一系列研究预计将通过(A)影响为个别患者安装今天的处理器的程序，以及(B)指导未来植入物的电极阵列和处理器的设计，从而改善人工耳蜗患者的性能。

DESCRIPTION: (as per applicant abstract) One of the most exciting advances in auditory prosthesis research in the last five years is the demonstration by our laboratory and others that speech recognition with cochlear implants can be significantly affected by the configuration of the electrical stimuli delivered to individual channels of the implant. The objectives of this proposal are to define the functional effects of specific spatial configurations of the electrical stimulus using speech recognition and psychophysical measures. We will expand on previous studies to define the processing strategies and types of stimuli for which various configurations of the electrical signal are most effective. Human subjects with Nucleus 22, Nucleus 24M and Clarion prostheses will be used. Psychophysical measures will include difference limens for pulse-rate, modulation-frequency, electrode-place, and intensity. Stimuli for speech-recognition testing will include phonemes, words, and complete sentences tested in quiet and in noise. The studies will be guided by models of the spatial extent and pattern of central neural excitation generated by specific electrical- current configurations. Psychophysical threshold, loudness, and gap detection data that have been proposed to reflect spread of neural activation will be obtained for the various configurations. This series of studies is expected to lead to improved performance in patients with cochlear implants by (a) influencing the procedures for fitting today's processors to individual patients and (b) guiding the design of electrode arrays and processors for the implants of the future.