Channel Interaction in Cochlear Implant and Speech Understanding in Noise

Impact of Channel Interaction on Cochlear Implant Performances in Noise : Influence of the Number of Maxima.

The goal of this study is to take into account channel interaction in the cochlear implant (CI) fitting process. Designing a fast and accurate method of measurement would help to customize the fitting procedures to patients' specificities in order to maximize speech understanding in every day conditions especially in noise.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Fluent in French

• Able to understand written instructions

• Under French public medical insurance

  • Normal-hearing subjects only:

    • Adult between 18 and 50 years old
    • Without a remarkable otological medical history, for example: chronic otitis, trans-tympanic tubes and / or all ear surgeries;
    • Clear auditory canal and normal eardrum;
    • Average audiometric loss under 20 decibels Hearing Level (dB HL)

  • Cochlear implant users only:

    • Adult between 18 and 60 yo
    • Normal middle ear
    • Used the cochlear implant for more than a year
    • Wearing a device from the company Neurelec/Oticon Medical

Exclusion Criteria:

• Behavioral and/or neurological disorders
• Proven psychological disorder
• Use of psychotropic medication
• People who experience migraine attacks on a regular basis
• Use of ototoxic medication
• Exposed to loud noises within the last 72 hours
• Included in another clinical trial that uses medication