title: Longitudinal assessment of physiological and psychophysical measures in cochlear implant users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term electrical stimulation on human cochlear implant users.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated measures of electrically evoked auditory brain steam response (EABR) threshold, slope of the EABR growth function, and behavioral measures of threshold and dynamic range were made for a group of 22 Ineraid cochlear implant users and 19 Nucleus cochlear implant users over a 3- to 5-yr period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from both Ineraid and Nucleus cochlear implant users suggest that EABR threshold, slope of the EABR growth function, and behavioral measures of threshold and dynamic range remain reasonably stable for periods up to 5 yr postimplant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show little evidence that prolonged electrical stimulation through daily use of a cochlear implant has deleterious effects on the auditory system.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Iowa City, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertschy
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lowder
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Gantz
mesh_terms: D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test