Effect of Carrier Bandwidth on Understanding Mandarin Sentences in Simulated Electric-Acoustic Hearing

In multi-speaker environments, cochlear implant (CI) users may attend to a target sound source in a different manner from normal hearing (NH) individuals during a conversation. This study attempted to investigate the effect of conversational sound levels on the mechanisms adopted by CI and NH listeners in selective auditory attention and how it affects their daily conversation. Nine CI users (five bilateral, three unilateral, and one bimodal) and eight NH listeners participated in this study. The behavioral speech recognition scores were collected using a matrix sentences test, and neural tracking to speech envelope was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). Speech stimuli were presented at three different levels (75, 65, and 55 dB SPL) in the presence of two maskers from three spatially separated speakers. Different combinations of assisted/impaired hearing modes were evaluated for CI users, and the outcomes were analyzed in three categories: electric hearing only, acoustic hearing only, and electric + acoustic hearing. Our results showed that increasing the conversational sound level degraded the selective auditory attention in electrical hearing. On the other hand, increasing the sound level improved the selective auditory attention for the acoustic hearing group. In the NH listeners, however, increasing the sound level did not cause a significant change in the auditory attention. Our result implies that the effect of the sound level on selective auditory attention varies depending on the hearing modes, and the loudness control is necessary for the ease of attending to the conversation by CI users.

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A Note on Acoustic Hearing Aids

British Journal of Audiology ◽

10.3109/03005367709078837 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 75-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. C. Grover

Keyword(s):

Hearing Aids ◽

Acoustic Hearing

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Acoustically evoked compound action potentials (CAPs) recorded from cochlear implant users with preserved acoustic hearing

10.17077/etd.005647 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jeong-Seo Kim

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Action Potentials ◽

Acoustic Hearing ◽

Compound Action Potentials ◽

Compound Action

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Binaural Perception in Single-Sided Deaf Cochlear Implant Users with Unrestricted or Restricted Acoustic Hearing in the Non-Implanted Ear

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000490879 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 187-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Camille Dorbeau ◽

John Galvin ◽

Qian-Jie Fu ◽

Elsa Legris ◽

Mathieu Marx ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Tinnitus Severity ◽

Speech Understanding In Noise ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Acoustic Hearing ◽

Speech Cues ◽

Contralateral Ear ◽

Speech Reception Thresholds ◽

One Year ◽

Single Sided Deafness

Cochlear implantation (CI) can benefit patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) in terms of sound localization, speech understanding in noise, tinnitus severity, and quality of life (QoL). In previous studies, CI outcomes have been largely reported for SSD patients with normal “unrestricted” hearing in the contralateral ear. However, SSD patients may often have some degree of hearing loss in the contralateral ear (“restricted” acoustic hearing). In this study, we report results from a French clinical trial for CI in in SSD patients (NCT02204618). Localization, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in noise, tinnitus severity, and QoL were evaluated in 18 SSD patients 1 year after CI. Data were analyzed for 2 subject groups according to the pure-tone average thresholds in the non-implanted ear: unrestricted acoustic hearing (UNRES; ≤25 dB HL; n = 10) and restricted acoustic hearing (RES; > 25 dB HL; n = 8). Across all subjects, localization was significantly better with the CI on than off (p = 0.005); there was no significant difference between subject groups (p = 0.301). When speech and noise were co-located (S0N0), there was no significant difference in SRTs with the CI on or off (p = 0.480); SRTs were significantly better for the UNRES than for the RES group (p = 0.005). When speech and noise were spatially separated (SCINNH), SRTs were significantly better with the CI on than off (p < 0.001). While SRTs were better for the UNRES than for the RES group (p = 0.024), the CI benefit was more than 50% greater for the RES group due to the restoration of high-frequency speech cues. Questionnaire data showed that tinnitus severity was significantly reduced (p = 0.045) and QoL was significantly improved after one year of experience with the CI (p < 0.001). Age at testing was significantly correlated with SRTs for the S0N0 condition; duration of deafness was correlated with SRTs for the SCINNH condition. There were relatively few correlations between behavioral and subjective measures, suggesting that both were valuable when assessing CI benefits for SSD patients. The present data suggest that indications for CI should be expanded to include unilaterally deaf patients who have normal hearing or mild-to-moderate hearing loss in the non-implanted ear.

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Comparative study of efficiency and characteristics of FMT and DRT installed in human cadavers for round-window stimulation

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95456-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dong Ho Shin ◽

Jong Hoon Kim ◽

Peter Gottlieb ◽

Yona Vaisbuch ◽

Sunil Puria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Ear ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Round Window ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Acoustic Hearing ◽

Middle Ear Implants ◽

Human Cadavers ◽

Limited Frequency ◽

Output Characteristics ◽

Temporal Bones

AbstractAcoustic hearing aids generate amplified sound in the ear canal, and they are the standard of care for patients with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. However, because of their limited frequency bandwidth, gain, and feedback, there is substantial room for improvement. Active middle ear implants, which directly vibrate the middle ear and cochlea, are an alternative approach to conventional acoustic hearing aids. They provide an opportunity to improve sound quality and speech understanding with amplification rehabilitation. For floating-mass type and direct-rod type (DRT) middle ear transducers, a differential floating-mass transducer (DFMT) and a tri-coil bellows transducer (TCBT), respectively, were fabricated to measure the output characteristics in four human temporal bones. Both were fabricated to have similar output forces per unit input and were placed in four human temporal bones to measure their output performances. The TCBT resulted in higher output than did the DFMT throughout the audible frequency range, and the output was more prominent at lower frequency ranges. In this study, we showed that DRT was a more effective method for round window stimulation. Because of its frequency characteristics and vibration efficiency, this implantation method can be utilized as a driving solution for middle ear implants.

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