Our research program is aimed at improving the use of physiological measures to predict perception with a cochlear implant (CI). The long-term goal is to objectively determine optimal speech-processor settings on an individual basis to improve speech understanding. Although some studies have shown modest correlations between objective and behavioral measures, these relations are not sufficiently strong to support exclusive use of physiological measures to predict behavioral outcomes. Recent studies have shown that the standard pulse polarity (cathodic-leading) used for CI stimulation is not ideal (e.g., Carlyon et al. 2013; Undurraga et al., 2010, 2013). Rather, more effective stimulation has been demonstrated using the opposite (anodic-leading) polarity for both physiological and perceptual measures. These findings raise significant questions about how to interpret the existing body of research aimed at relating physiological and perceptual measures, which used standard cathodic-leading pulses. Although the recent studies demonstrated greater effectiveness with anodic stimulation for both perceptual (i.e., louder percepts for a fixed curren level) and physiological (i.e., shorter latencies, larger amplitudes, more effective masking) responses, no studies to date have examined polarity effects using standard clinical pulses, nor have any studies examined the relation between physiology and perception as a function of stimulus polarity. This is the goal of the present project. If polarity affects physiological measures to a different degree than perceptual measures, then the predictability of objective measures will be affected. In this project, we will examine the effect of stimulus polarity using clinically standard pulse shapes to determine the extent to which polarity affects perceptual and physiological measures, as well as the relation between the two. Examining the effects of stimulus polarity for standard pulse shapes will allow us to better understand the underlying physiological contributors to perceptual measures with CIs, and will have important implications for future clinical stimulation paradigms. Most importantly, results from this study will determine whether current clinical stimulation modes should shift from cathodic- to anodic-leading stimulation.

Public Health Relevance

The primary goal of this project is to examine the effect of stimulus polarity on physiological and perceptual measures in cochlear-implant recipients. It is hoped that results from this project will lead to improvements in how well we can predict perceptual responses using objective physiological measures, potentially leading to better outcomes with the implant.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC009595-07
Application #
9119808
Study Section
Auditory System Study Section (AUD)
Program Officer
Miller, Roger
Project Start
2008-07-01
Project End
2018-07-31
Budget Start
2016-08-01
Budget End
2017-07-31
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Department
Type
DUNS #
073136806
City
Boys Town
State
NE
Country
United States
Zip Code
68010
Hughes, Michelle L; Choi, Sangsook; Glickman, Erin (2018) What can stimulus polarity and interphase gap tell us about auditory nerve function in cochlear-implant recipients? Hear Res 359:50-63
Spitzer, Emily R; Hughes, Michelle L (2017) Effect of Stimulus Polarity on Physiological Spread of Excitation in Cochlear Implants. J Am Acad Audiol 28:786-798
Hughes, Michelle L; Goehring, Jenny L; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L (2017) Effects of Stimulus Polarity and Artifact Reduction Method on the Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potential. Ear Hear 38:332-343
Hughes, Michelle L; Laurello, Sarah A (2017) Effect of stimulus level on the temporal response properties of the auditory nerve in cochlear implants. Hear Res 351:116-129
Hughes, Michelle L; Goehring, Jenny L; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L et al. (2016) Effects of stimulus level and rate on psychophysical thresholds for interleaved pulse trains in cochlear implants. J Acoust Soc Am 140:2297
Thomas Roland, J; Buchman, Craig; Eisenberg, Laurie et al. (2016) Proceedings of the Annual Symposium of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance. Cochlear Implants Int 17:211-237
Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L; Hughes, Michelle L; Goehring, Jenny L (2016) A Comparison of Alternating Polarity and Forward Masking Artifact-Reduction Methods to Resolve the Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potential. Ear Hear 37:e247-55
Hughes, Michelle L; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L; Goehring, Jenny L (2015) Effect of electrode impedance on spread of excitation and pitch perception using electrically coupled ""dual-electrode"" stimulation. Ear Hear 36:e50-6
Hughes, Michelle L; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L; Goehring, Jenny L (2014) The relation between auditory-nerve temporal responses and perceptual rate integration in cochlear implants. Hear Res 316:44-56
Goehring, Jenny L; Neff, Donna L; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L et al. (2014) Pitch ranking, electrode discrimination, and physiological spread of excitation using current steering in cochlear implants. J Acoust Soc Am 136:3159

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