Channel discrimination along all contacts of the cochlear implant electrode array and its relation to speech...

To test the channel discrimination of cochlear implant (CI) users along all contacts of the electrode array and assess whether this is related to speech perception.

CI recipients were tested with a custom-made channel discrimination test. They were asked to distinguish a target stimulus from two reference stimuli in a three-alternative forced choice (3AFC) task. The target stimulus was evoked using current steering, with current steering coefficients (α) of 1, 0.5 and 0.25. The test provided a discrimination score (Dα) for each electrode contact along the array.

Thirty adults implanted with a CI from Advanced Bionics.

Large variations in Dα scores were observed, both across the electrode array and between subjects. Statistical analysis revealed a significant channel-to-channel variability in Dα score (p < 0.01). Further, there was a significant relationship between subjects' Dα scores and their speech perception in quiet (p < 0.001).

The large variations in Dα score emphasise the importance of testing pitch discrimination across the complete electrode array. The relationship between Dα score and speech perception indicates that pitch discrimination might be a contributing factor to the performance of individual implant users.