a Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders , East Carolina University , Greenville , NC , USA.
Int J Audiol. 2019 Sep;58(9):587-597. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2019.1601779. Epub 2019 Apr 23.
The objective of the current study was to examine the longitudinal effect of deactivating stimulation sites estimated to produce broad neural excitation on speech recognition. Spatial patterns of neural excitation were estimated based on a previously established psychophysical measure, that is, detection threshold for low-rate pulse trains. Stimulation sites with relatively poor thresholds were deactivated in an experimental map. The acute effect was evaluated, in quiet and in noise, immediately after the experimental map was created (baseline), after the subjects practiced with the experimental map for two months (treatment), and after the subjects' daily map was switched back again to the clinical map for another two months (withdrawal). Eight Cochlear Nucleus device users participated in the study. For both listening in noise and in quiet, the greatest effect of deactivation was observed after the subjects were given time to adapt to the new frequency allocations. The effect was comparable for listening in fluctuating and steady-state noises. All subjects benefited from deactivation for listening in noise, but subjects with greater variability in thresholds were more likely to benefit from deactivation for listening in quiet. The benefit of electrode deactivation for speech recognition can increase with practice.
本研究的目的是检验对据估计能产生广泛神经兴奋的刺激部位进行去活处理对语音识别的纵向影响。基于先前建立的一种心理物理测量方法（即对低速脉冲串的检测阈值）来估计神经兴奋的空间模式。在实验图中将具有相对较差阈值的刺激部位去活。在创建实验图后（基线）、在受试者用实验图练习两个月后（治疗）以及在受试者的日常图再次切换回临床图两个月后（停药），对急性影响进行评估，包括在安静和噪声环境下。有 8 名耳蜗核装置使用者参加了这项研究。对于噪声环境和安静环境下的聆听，在受试者有时间适应新的频率分配后，去活的效果最为明显。在波动噪声和稳态噪声中，去活的效果相当。所有受试者在噪声环境下聆听时都受益于去活，但在安静环境下聆听时，阈值变化较大的受试者更有可能受益于去活。随着练习的进行，电极去活对语音识别的益处可能会增加。
