title: Electrophysiological evidence for altered visual, but not auditory, selective attention in adolescent cochlear implant users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Selective attention fundamentally alters sensory perception, but little is known about the functioning of attention in individuals who use a cochlear implant. This study aimed to investigate visual and auditory attention in adolescent cochlear implant users.
  
  
  METHODS
  Event related potentials were used to investigate the influence of attention on visual and auditory evoked potentials in six cochlear implant users and age-matched normally-hearing children. Participants were presented with streams of alternating visual and auditory stimuli in an oddball paradigm: each modality contained frequently presented 'standard' and infrequent 'deviant' stimuli. Across different blocks attention was directed to either the visual or auditory modality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the visual stimuli attention boosted the early N1 potential, but this effect was larger for cochlear implant users. Attention was also associated with a later P3 component for the visual deviant stimulus, but there was no difference between groups in the later attention effects. For the auditory stimuli, attention was associated with a decrease in N1 latency as well as a robust P3 for the deviant tone. Importantly, there was no difference between groups in these auditory attention effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that basic mechanisms of auditory attention are largely normal in children who are proficient cochlear implant users, but that visual attention may be altered. Ultimately, a better understanding of how selective attention influences sensory perception in cochlear implant users will be important for optimising habilitation strategies.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, The Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; The University of Queensland, Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, The Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: m.kamke@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kamke
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation
keywords: Auditory evoked potential; Children; Cochlear implant; Electroencephalography; Selective attention; Visual evoked potential