Speech perception performance as a function of stimulus pulse rate and processing strategy preference for the Cochlear™ Nucleus® CI24RE device: Relation to perceptual threshold and loudness comfort profiles

• Published in: International journal of audiology 2010-09, Vol.49 (9), p.657-666
• Main Authors: Battmer, Rolf-Dieter, Dillier, Norbert, Lai, Wai Kong, Begall, Klaus, Leypon, Elisabeth Estrada, González, Juan C. Falcón, Manrique, Manuel, Morera, Constantino, Müller-Deile, Joachim, Wesarg, Thomas, Zarowski, Andrzej, Killian, Matthijs J., von Wallenberg, Ernst, Smoorenburg, Guido F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Audiometry, Speech; Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Cochlear implant; Cochlear Implants; Correction of Hearing Impairment; Electric Stimulation; Europe; Habituation; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - psychology; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - rehabilitation; Humans; Implants; Loudness; Loudness Perception; Middle Aged; Persons With Hearing Impairments - psychology; Persons With Hearing Impairments - rehabilitation; Processor fitting; Prosthesis Design; Prosthesis Fitting; Severity of Illness Index; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Speech Perception; Stimulation rate; Thresholds; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1499-2027; 1708-8186
• DOI: 10.3109/14992021003801471

Abstract Current cochlear implants can operate at high pulse rates. The effect of increasing pulse rate on speech performance is not yet clear. Habituation to low rates may affect the outcome. This paper presents the results of three subsequent studies using different experimental paradigms, applying the Nucleus CI24RE device, and conducted by ten European implant teams. Pulse rate per channel varied from 500 to 3500 pulses per second with ACE and from 1200 to 3500 pps with CIS strategy. The results showed that the first rate presented had little effect on the finally preferred rate. Lower rates were preferred. The effect of pulse rate on word scores of post-linguistic implantees was small; high rates tended to give lower scores. However, there were no significant differences between the word scores across subjects if collected at the individually preferred pulse rate. High pulse rates were preferred when the post-implantation threshold was low. Sumario Los implantes cocleares actuales puede operara a tasas de pulso altas. El efecto de la tasa de pulso en aumento sobre el desempeño en el lenguaje aún no es claro. La habituación a tasas bajas puede afectar el resultado. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de tres estudios subsiguientes que usaron diferentes paradigmas experimentales, utilizando el dispositivo Nucleus CI24RE, y llevado a cabo por diez equipos europeos de implante. La tasa de pulso por canal varió entre 500 a 3500 pulsos por segundo con la estrategia ACE y de 1200 a 3500 pps con la estrategia CIS. Los resultados mostraron que la primera tasa presentada tenía poco efecto sobre la tasa preferida final. Se prefirieron tasas más bajas. El efecto de la tasa de pulso sobre los puntajes de reconocimiento de palabras en implantados post-lingüísticos fue pequeño; tasas más altas tendieron a dar puntajes más bajos. Sin embargo, no existieron diferencias significativas entre los puntajes de reconocimiento de palabras en los diferentes sujetos si se recogían a la tasa preferida individual de pulso. Se prefirieron tasas de pulso más altas cuando el umbral post-implantación era bajo.