High levels of speech perception in quiet are currently available to a significant percentage of modern cdchlear implant recipients. In a noisy background, however, particularly if that noise is competing speech, speech perception is dramatically impaired. One possible method for improving speech perception in noise is to improve the temporal representation of speech in discharge patterns of electrically stimulated auditory nerve fibers. This method would also be expected to improve the performance of bilateral implant recipients on tasks requiring brainstem analysis of interaural timing. Detailed biophysical models and animal studies have demonstrated that improved temporal representation can be accomplished through the use of """"""""conditioning stimuli"""""""" - trains of unmodulated high-rate pulses that desynchronize activity of auditory neurons to competing signals. Use of this procedure has led to dramatically increased speech perception in quiet and/or noise in some subjects, but not in others. The goal of the proposed work is to optimize the presentation of both the speech signal and the conditioner so as to maximize speech perception in quiet and noise for unilateral implant recipients, as well as improve perception of temporally-based lateralization and binaural unmasking in bilateral implantees. Because temporal pitch mechanisms demand accurate place information if they are to be useful, and pitch is thought critical for speech discrimination in competing speech, filter-to-electrode mappings will be manipulated in conditioned speech processors to maximize performance on a test of spondees in steady-state noise, """"""""babble noise"""""""", temporally modulated noise, as well as on HINT sentences in speech-shaped noise. The results will allow optimization of conditioned processors for unilateral and bilateral cochlear implant recipients. In those bilateral implant recipients who have interaural timing perception for electrical stimuli in the physiologic range, this work has the potential to provide significant additional binaural benefits from a clinical speech processor beyond those currently available via interaural amplitude differences. In unilateral implantees, this work has already demonstrated substantial benefit in a limited number of subjects; it is our goal to deliver these benefits to the broader population of implant recipients.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC007525-03
Application #
7336754
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDC1-SRB-W (48))
Program Officer
Miller, Roger
Project Start
2006-01-09
Project End
2010-12-31
Budget Start
2008-01-01
Budget End
2008-12-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$373,767
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Otolaryngology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Drennan, Ward R; Won, Jong Ho; Timme, Alden O et al. (2016) Nonlinguistic Outcome Measures in Adult Cochlear Implant Users Over the First Year of Implantation. Ear Hear 37:354-64
Won, Jong Ho; Jones, Gary L; Moon, Il Joon et al. (2015) Spectral and temporal analysis of simulated dead regions in cochlear implants. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 16:285-307
Drennan, Ward R; Oleson, Jacob J; Gfeller, Kate et al. (2015) Clinical evaluation of music perception, appraisal and experience in cochlear implant users. Int J Audiol 54:114-23
Park, Min-Hyun; Won, Jong Ho; Horn, David L et al. (2015) Acoustic temporal modulation detection in normal-hearing and cochlear implanted listeners: effects of hearing mechanism and development. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 16:389-99
Won, Jong Ho; Shim, Hyun Joon; Lorenzi, Christian et al. (2014) Use of amplitude modulation cues recovered from frequency modulation for cochlear implant users when original speech cues are severely degraded. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 15:423-39
Jones, Gary L; Won, Jong Ho; Drennan, Ward R et al. (2013) Relationship between channel interaction and spectral-ripple discrimination in cochlear implant users. J Acoust Soc Am 133:425-33
Li, Xing; Nie, Kaibao; Imennov, Nikita S et al. (2013) Improved perception of music with a harmonic based algorithm for cochlear implants. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 21:684-94
Imennov, Nikita S; Won, Jong Ho; Drennan, Ward R et al. (2013) Detection of acoustic temporal fine structure by cochlear implant listeners: behavioral results and computational modeling. Hear Res 298:60-72
Goldwyn, Joshua H; Rubinstein, Jay T; Shea-Brown, Eric (2012) A point process framework for modeling electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. J Neurophysiol 108:1430-52
Won, Jong Ho; Lorenzi, Christian; Nie, Kaibao et al. (2012) The ability of cochlear implant users to use temporal envelope cues recovered from speech frequency modulation. J Acoust Soc Am 132:1113-9

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