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Project

Unified, individualised, and self−adapting sound processing for combined cochlear implant and hearing aid Stimulation.

Cochlear implants can restore the hearing of the deaf by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve. They are often combined with a hearing aid in the non−implanted ear. This is called bimodal stimulation. Speech perception in a noisy environment and sound source localisation is still poor with these devices. They are manually fitted to individual patients by an audiologist in a fairly rudimentary and time consuming way. We will improve this based on the following new ideas: adapting the sound processing to individual patients based on measurements of brain activity, and doing this continuously in a wearable processor, recording brain activity from implanted electrodes, in response to ecological sounds. This allows us to take into account the characteristics of individual brains, which may change over time. To achieve this we will 1) design sound processing that better transmits the cues that allow the normal−hearing auditory system to segregate auditory streams, 2) assess transmission of these cues through auditory prostheses by measuring auditory evoked potentials from the electroencephalogram, and investigate how the sound processing should be changed for each individual listener to achieve best performance, and 3) design a processor that performs these measurements and adjustments continuously, using ecological sounds as input. The expected outcomes are a better understanding of the perception of auditory stream segregation cues, improved transmission of these cues, objective, individualised and automatic fitting methods, and a novel closed−loop processor. For the patient this means improved speech perception in noisy environments and improved sound source localisation, and thus better communication and quality of life. For the clinic this means improved efficiency. This project will lead to opportunities for additional fundamental research using continuous measurement of brain potentials, and application of this novel concept to other neural prostheses.

Date:1 Oct 2013 →  30 Sep 2023
Keywords:Cochlear implants, sound processing, auditory stream segregation cues, individualised and automatic fitting methods
Disciplines:Otorhinolaryngology not elsewhere classified, Speech, language and hearing sciences not elsewhere classified, Modelling not elsewhere classified