DEVELOPING ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF BRAIN ACTIVITY TO OPTIMISE COCHLEAR IMPLANT OUTCOMES

对于听力不足的人来说，要有效地使用助听器，人工耳蜗可以提供很大的好处，虽然它们不能恢复正常的听力。人工耳蜗通过手术植入内耳（耳蜗）的一组电极，通过电流直接刺激听觉神经。虽然人工耳蜗移植取得了巨大的成功，但在语音感知结果方面存在很大的差异。这项研究计划的目的是减少性能的可变性，并提高所有人的语音识别水平。我们建议通过使用一种特殊的机器来测量人工耳蜗使用者的大脑活动对声音的反应来实现这一点。这项技术在临床实践中经常使用，需要戴上一顶特殊的帽子来录音。我们将使用这种方法来记录耳蜗和大脑之间听觉系统不同部分的反应。通过理解这些反应和语言理解之间的关系，将有助于我们认识到听力通路中不同阶段的重要性。这些措施将使我们能够观察人工耳蜗植入后大脑发生的变化。我们将定义“生物标志物”，临床医生可以使用它来指导植入物的安装和康复。生物标志物是对身体典型变化的客观测量。我们将制定关于调整通过人工耳蜗发送声音的方式或关闭电极的指导。对于那些双侧人工耳蜗植入的患者，我们也会制定调整人工耳蜗的指导方针，使每只耳朵的声音更相似，以改善耳朵协同工作的方式。这项研究将在成人和儿童中进行，以充分了解人工耳蜗植入后人们的听力如何。

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.