This study investigated the effects of simulated cochlear-implant processing on speech reception in a variety of complex masking situations. Speech recognition was measured as a function of target-to-masker ratio, processing condition (4, 8, 24 channels, and unprocessed) and masker type (speech-shaped noise, amplitude-modulated speech-shaped noise, single male talker, and single female talker)....

To scrutinize the binaural contribution to speech-in-noise reception, four groups of elderly participants with or without audiometric asymmetry <2 kHz and with or without near-normal binaural intelligibility level difference (BILD) completed tests of monaural and binaural phase sensitivity as well as cognitive function. Groups did not differ in age, overall degree of hearing loss, or cognitive ...

The study examined whether the benefit of deactivating stimulation sites estimated to have broad neural excitation was attributed to improved spectral resolution in cochlear implant users. The subjects' spatial neural excitation pattern was estimated by measuring low-rate detection thresholds across the array [see Zhou (2016). PLoS One 11, e0165476]. Spectral resolution, as assessed by spectral...

Two hundred and two operations on patients with a congenital ear malformation are presented. Special emphasis is placed on those patients seen in the past three years. The goal of surgery is normal, or near normal, hearing in the operated ear. The surgical approach is direct to the middle ear, and the mastoid air cell system is not opened. Temporalis fascia is used for the new tympanic membrane...

This study investigated the relationship between speech perception performance in spatially complex, lateralized listening scenarios and temporal fine-structure (TFS) coding at low frequencies. Young normal-hearing (NH) and two groups of elderly hearing-impaired (HI) listeners with mild or moderate hearing loss above 1.5 kHz participated in the study. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were est...

When instructed to speak clearly for people with hearing loss, a talker can effectively enhance the intelligibility of his/her speech by producing "clear" speech. We analyzed global acoustic properties of clear and conversational speech from two talkers and measured their speech intelligibility over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios in acoustic and electric hearing. Consistent with previou...

A modulation-based index is proposed for predicting speech intelligibility by cochlear implant (CI) listeners. The input to the proposed index are speech envelopes extracted using the individual CI user's daily strategy, and as such, this approach incorporates information about the number of active electrodes, shape of the compression function and electrical dynamic range. High correlation (r =...

Background: Variability in speech performance is a major concern for children with cochlear implants (CIs). Spectral resolution is an important acoustic component in speech perception. Considerable variability and limitations of spectral resolution in children with CIs may lead to individual differences in speech performance. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between auditory ...