Binaural enhancement for bilateral cochlear implant users

• Published in: Ear and hearing Vol. 35; no. 5; p. 580
• Main Author: Brown, Christopher A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cochlear Implantation - methods; Cochlear Implants; Cues; Deafness - rehabilitation; Humans; Middle Aged; Sound Localization; Speech Intelligibility; Speech Perception
• ISSN: 1538-4667
• DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000044

Bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users receive limited binaural cues and, thus, show little improvement to speech intelligibility from spatial cues. The feasibility of a method for enhancing the binaural cues available to BCI users is investigated. This involved extending interaural differences of levels, which typically are restricted to high frequencies, into the low-frequency region. Speech intelligibility was measured in BCI users listening over headphones and with direct stimulation, with a target talker presented to one side of the head in the presence of a masker talker on the other side. Spatial separation was achieved by applying either naturally occurring binaural cues or enhanced cues. In this listening configuration, BCI patients showed greater speech intelligibility with the enhanced binaural cues than with naturally occurring binaural cues. In some situations, it is possible for BCI users to achieve greater speech intelligibility when binaural cues are enhanced by applying interaural differences of levels in the low-frequency region.