Abstract

One of the most exciting advances in auditory prosthesis research in the last five years is the demonstration by our laboratory and others that speech recognition with cochlear implants can be significantly affected by the configuration of the electrical stimuli delivered to individual channels of the implant. The objectives of this proposal are to define the functional effects of specific spatial configurations of the electrical stimulus using speech recognition and psychophysical measures. We will expand on previous studies to define the processing strategies and types of stimuli for which various configurations of the electrical signal are most effective. Human subjects with Nucleus 22, Nucleus 24M and Clarion prostheses will be used. Psychophysical measures will include difference limens for pulse-rate, modulation-frequency, electrode-place, and intensity. Stimuli for speech-recognition testing will include phonemes, words, and complete sentences tested in quiet and in noise. The studies will be guided by models of the spatial extent and pattern of central neural excitation generated by specific electrical- current configurations. Psychophysical threshold, loudness, and gap detection data that have been proposed to reflect spread of neural activation will be obtained for the various configurations. This series of studies is expected to lead to improved performance in patients with cochlear implants by (a) influencing the procedures for fitting today's processors to individual patients and (b) guiding the design of electrode arrays and processors for the implants of the future.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC003808-04
Application #
6516192
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-6 (01))
Program Officer
Miller, Roger
Project Start
1999-05-01
Project End
2004-04-30
Budget Start
2002-05-01
Budget End
2003-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$295,971
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Otolaryngology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
791277940
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109

  Publications

Pfingst, Bryan E; Burkholder-Juhasz, Rose A; Zwolan, Teresa A et al. (2008) Psychophysical assessment of stimulation sites in auditory prosthesis electrode arrays. Hear Res 242:172-83
Xu, Li; Pfingst, Bryan E (2008) Spectral and temporal cues for speech recognition: implications for auditory prostheses. Hear Res 242:132-40
Pfingst, Bryan E; Xu, Li; Thompson, Catherine S (2007) Effects of carrier pulse rate and stimulation site on modulation detection by subjects with cochlear implants. J Acoust Soc Am 121:2236-46
Drennan, Ward R; Pfingst, Bryan E (2006) Current-level discrimination in the context of interleaved, multichannel stimulation in cochlear implants: effects of number of stimulated electrodes, pulse rate, and electrode separation. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 7:308-16
Pfingst, Bryan E; Xu, Li (2005) Psychophysical metrics and speech recognition in cochlear implant users. Audiol Neurootol 10:331-41
Xu, Li; Zwolan, Teresa A; Thompson, Catherine S et al. (2005) Efficacy of a cochlear implant simultaneous analog stimulation strategy coupled with a monopolar electrode configuration. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 114:886-93
Xu, Li; Thompson, Catherine S; Pfingst, Bryan E (2005) Relative contributions of spectral and temporal cues for phoneme recognition. J Acoust Soc Am 117:3255-67
Drennan, Ward R; Pfingst, Bryan E (2005) Current-level discrimination using bipolar and monopolar electrode configurations in cochlear implants. Hear Res 202:170-9
Pfingst, Bryan E; Xu, Li; Thompson, Catherine S (2004) Across-site threshold variation in cochlear implants: relation to speech recognition. Audiol Neurootol 9:341-52
Pfingst, Bryan E; Xu, Li (2004) Across-site variation in detection thresholds and maximum comfortable loudness levels for cochlear implants. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 5:11-24

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