Spatial hearing with a single cochlear implant in late-implanted adults.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Sound localization is crucial for auditory perception.
• Cochlear implants (CIs) restore hearing but spatial hearing can be challenging.
• Late implantation and unilateral CIs pose specific challenges for sound localization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess sound localization in late-implanted adults with a unilateral CI.
• To investigate the impact of cochlear implant use duration on sound localization.
• To compare sound localization abilities between prelingually and postlingually deafened adults.

Main Methods:

• Ten prelingually and four postlingually deafened adults with unilateral CIs participated.
• Participants were tested using a sound-source identification task.
• Performance was evaluated based on accuracy and compared to chance levels.

Main Results:

• Prelingual CI recipients with longer implant use (average 9 years) showed above-chance sound localization.
• Postlingual CI recipients (average 11 months use) performed equal to or better than the best prelingual participants.
• Emergence of sound localization ability in prelingual adults requires extensive CI use.

Conclusions:

• Sound localization abilities can emerge in prelingually deafened adults with a single CI after prolonged use.
• Postlingual deafness and earlier auditory experience may facilitate faster spatial hearing acquisition with a unilateral CI.
• Unilateral CIs can provide some sound localization benefits, particularly with extended use and in postlingually deafened individuals.