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Perception of Interaural Phase Differences With Envelope and Fine Structure Coding Strategies in Bilateral Cochlear
Stefan Zirn1, Susan Arndt2, Antje Aschendorff2
1Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology of the Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Germany University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Germany stefan.zirn@hs-offenburg.de.
This study compared two cochlear implant strategies (FS4 and HDCIS) for bilaterally implanted users. While FS4 improved interaural phase difference (IPD) detection for some, it did not enhance speech intelligibility in noise compared to HDCIS.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Interaural phase differences (IPDs) are crucial for binaural hearing in noise.
- Improving IPD perception is vital for cochlear implant (CI) users to enhance speech understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of two MED-EL CI coding strategies, FS4 and HDCIS, in bilaterally implanted (BiCI) users.
- To assess how IPD coding strategies impact IPD detection and binaural speech intelligibility in noise.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with BiCI users: (a) IPD detection thresholds using tonal signals and (b) binaural speech intelligibility level differences (BILD) with speech in noise.
- Participants used MED-EL CI systems programmed with either FS4 or HDCIS strategies, with familiarization periods of 6-12 weeks.
Main Results:
- FS4 strategy showed improved IPD detection thresholds compared to HDCIS in 4 out of 7 BiCI users.
- No significant difference in BILD was observed between FS4 and HDCIS strategies for 12 BiCI users.
- No correlation was found between individual IPD detection sensitivity and BILD performance.
Conclusions:
- The ability to detect IPDs using apical electrode pairs does not predict improvements in binaural speech intelligibility with multi-electrode stimulation in BiCI users.
- Current IPD coding strategies may not fully translate to enhanced real-world binaural hearing benefits for all BiCI users.
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