title: Intelligibility in speech maskers with a binaural cochlear implant sound coding strategy inspired by the contralateral medial olivocochlear reflex.
abstract: We have recently proposed a binaural cochlear implant (CI) sound processing strategy inspired by the contralateral medial olivocochlear reflex (the MOC strategy) and shown that it improves intelligibility in steady-state noise (Lopez-Poveda et al., 2016, Ear Hear 37:e138-e148). The aim here was to evaluate possible speech-reception benefits of the MOC strategy for speech maskers, a more natural type of interferer. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured in six bilateral and two single-sided deaf CI users with the MOC strategy and with a standard (STD) strategy. SRTs were measured in unilateral and bilateral listening conditions, and for target and masker stimuli located at azimuthal angles of (0°, 0°), (-15°, +15°), and (-90°, +90°). Mean SRTs were 2-5 dB better with the MOC than with the STD strategy for spatially separated target and masker sources. For bilateral CI users, the MOC strategy (1) facilitated the intelligibility of speech in competition with spatially separated speech maskers in both unilateral and bilateral listening conditions; and (2) led to an overall improvement in spatial release from masking in the two listening conditions. Insofar as speech is a more natural type of interferer than steady-state noise, the present results suggest that the MOC strategy holds potential for promising outcomes for CI users.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain. Electronic address: ealopezpoveda@usal.es.
authors.forename: Enrique A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Lopez-Poveda
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Almudena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eustaquio-Martín
authors.affiliation: USA Laboratory, MED-EL GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Stohl
authors.affiliation: USA Laboratory, MED-EL GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Wolford
authors.affiliation: Institute of Mechatronics, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schatzer
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gorospe
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Santiago Santa Cruz
authors.initials: SSC
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Departamento de Cirugía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benito
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Blake S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002648:Child; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D013016:Sound; D013017:Sound Localization; D013060:Speech; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Bilateral implant; Binaural processing; Olivocochlear efferents; Speech maskers; Speech reception threshold; ‘Cocktail party’ effect