Simulating the effect of interaural mismatch in the insertion depth of bilateral cochlear implants on speech perception.
A bilateral advantage for diotically presented stimuli has been observed for cochlear implant (CI) users and is suggested to be dependent on symmetrical implant performance. Studies using CI simulations have not shown a true "bilateral" advantage, but a "better ear" effect and have demonstrated that performance decreases with increasing basalward shift in insertion depth. This study aimed to determine whether there is a bilateral advantage for CI simulations with interaurally matched insertions and the extent to which performance is affected by interaural insertion depth mismatch. Speech perception in noise and self-reported ease of listening were measured using matched bilateral, mismatched bilateral and unilateral CI simulations over four insertion depths for seventeen normal hearing listeners. Speech scores and ease of listening reduced with increasing basalward shift in (interaurally matched) insertion depth. A bilateral advantage for speech perception was only observed when the insertion depths were interaurally matched and deep. No advantage was observed for small to moderate interaural insertion-depth mismatches, consistent with a better ear effect. Finally, both measures were poorer than expected for a better ear effect for large mismatches, suggesting that misalignment of the electrode arrays may prevent a bilateral advantage and detrimentally affect perception of diotically presented speech.
Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. rvb@isvr.soton.ac.uk
Rachel M
RM
van Besouw
Lisa
L
Forrester
Nicholas D
ND
Crowe
Daniel
D
Rowan
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013067:Speech Perception; D055815:Young Adult