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Published on: October 8, 2014
Speech production changes with the Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant
S Cummings1, E Groenewald, L Coetzee
1Departments of Communication Pathology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. Supplement
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Multichannel cochlear implants improve speech production in postlingually deaf individuals. Spectrographic analysis showed enhanced accuracy in vowel and consonant sounds, as well as suprasegmental features over time.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Cochlear implants are vital for restoring hearing in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss.
- Understanding the impact of cochlear implants on speech production is crucial for rehabilitation.
- Postlingual deafness presents unique challenges for speech adaptation after implantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To spectrographically analyze speech production changes in a child and an adult with multichannel cochlear implants.
- To assess improvements in both segmental and suprasegmental speech features over time.
- To evaluate the efficacy of multichannel cochlear implants in enhancing speech clarity.
Main Methods:
- Spectrographic analysis of speech samples.
- Measurement of segmental features: vowel/fricative/plosive duration, vowel formant frequencies, fricative/plosive centroid frequencies.
- Suprasegmental analysis (adult): sentence duration, pitch variation, word stress.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements observed in consonant and vowel production accuracy (duration, centroid frequencies, formant relationships).
- Enhanced suprasegmental features (sentence duration, pitch, stress) in the adult case study.
- Positive speech production changes correlated with the duration of cochlear implant use.
Conclusions:
- Multichannel cochlear implants facilitate notable improvements in speech production for postlingually deaf individuals.
- Enhanced auditory feedback from cochlear implants appears to be a key factor in speech adaptation.
- Further research can explore long-term speech outcomes and individualized rehabilitation strategies.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Hearing
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
01:22Hair Cells
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
01:15Auditory Pathway
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...