Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
341
Vocal control and speech production in cochlear implant listeners: A review within auditory-motor processing
Samin Ashjaei1, Roozbeh Behroozmand2, Shaivee Fozdar1
1Translational Auditory Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 1705 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Hearing Research
|October 24, 2024
Summary
Cochlear implants (CI) improve speech production and control. However, some CI users show persistent deviations in speech features compared to normal hearing individuals, highlighting the need for further research.
Area of Science:
- Speech Science
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Engineering
Background:
- Cochlear implants (CI) are crucial for hearing restoration in severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss.
- Understanding the impact of CIs on speech production within the auditory-motor integration framework is essential for optimizing device use and rehabilitation.
- Prior research has explored various aspects of speech production in CI users, but a consolidated view is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review and synthesize existing literature on how cochlear implants affect vocal and articulatory speech control.
- To discuss speech production patterns, adjustments, and deviations in cochlear implant users compared to normal hearing individuals.
- To identify gaps in current knowledge regarding the influence of implantation factors and auditory feedback on speech outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
- Findings were analyzed within the auditory-motor integration framework of speech.
- Studies examining pre- vs. post-implantation speech, adjustments, deviations, and effects of auditory feedback were synthesized.
Main Results:
- Cochlear implants generally enhance vocal and articulatory control at segmental and suprasegmental levels.
- Many CI users achieve speech quality comparable to normal hearing (NH) individuals.
- Subgroups of CI users exhibit persistent deviations, including contracted vowel space, increased vocal jitter/shimmer, altered durations, reduced fricative contrast, limited prosody, and lower intelligibility compared to NH speakers.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implants significantly benefit speech production, but individual variations and persistent deviations exist.
- Further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of implantation age, CI duration, spectral resolution, and auditory rehabilitation on speech outcomes.
- Future studies should focus on the auditory-motor integration framework to elucidate how suboptimal CI feedback impacts speech control in users.
Keywords:
Auditory-motor integrationCochlear implant usersSpeech productionSuboptimal auditory feedbackVocal and articulatory controlMore Related Videos
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