Turchet Luca, Rosaia Raffaele, Diodati Alessandro, Carner Marco
Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jun 12;15(1):20054. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02946-4.
Vibrotactile stimulation has been shown to enhance the music listening experience of cochlear implant (CI) users. However, while existing studies have focused on music perception, significant gaps remain in our understanding of how music induces emotions in CI users and the role of vibrotactile stimulation in this process. Furthermore, the after-effects of audio-vibrotactile music listening on audiometric test performances have not yet been investigated on CI users. This paper presents a study in which two groups of twelve CI users were each exposed to music alone and to music with concurrent vibrotactile stimulation delivered via a vest enhanced with actuators. Standardized tonal and speech tests were conducted before and after both types of exposure (audio and audio-vibrotactile). In particular, speech audiometry was conducted in the quiet condition (with no masking sounds) for the first group and with the competing sounds for the second group. Results from both groups consistently showed that the exposure to tactile music significantly enhanced CI users' ability to decode tonal and speech signals compared to the effect resulting from exposure to sounds alone. The majority of participants preferred listening to music with concurrent vibrations over an audio-only experience, as it led to higher levels of immersion and engagement. Consistent with findings from previous studies on individuals with normal hearing, an increase in arousal in CI users was observed in the audio-vibrotactile condition compared to the absence of vibrations, regardless of the type of emotion being conveyed. Nevertheless, participants emphasized the need for vibrotactile devices to incorporate personalization mechanisms, allowing them to dynamically adjust vibration intensity for different body parts. These findings may open the door to novel therapeutic approaches for CI users.
振动触觉刺激已被证明可增强人工耳蜗（CI）使用者的音乐聆听体验。然而，尽管现有研究集中在音乐感知方面，但我们对于音乐如何在CI使用者中诱发情感以及振动触觉刺激在此过程中的作用仍存在重大认知差距。此外，音频 - 振动触觉音乐聆听对CI使用者听力测试表现的后续影响尚未得到研究。本文介绍了一项研究，两组各12名CI使用者分别单独聆听音乐以及通过配备有驱动器的背心同时接受振动触觉刺激的音乐。在两种类型的聆听（音频和音频 - 振动触觉）前后均进行了标准化的音调及言语测试。具体而言，第一组在安静条件下（无掩蔽声）进行言语听力测试，第二组则在有竞争声音的情况下进行。两组结果均一致表明，与仅聆听声音相比，接触触觉音乐显著增强了CI使用者解码音调及言语信号的能力。大多数参与者更喜欢同时聆听带有振动的音乐而非仅听音频，因为这能带来更高程度的沉浸感和参与度。与先前关于听力正常个体的研究结果一致，无论传达何种情感类型，与无振动情况相比，在音频 - 振动触觉条件下观察到CI使用者的唤醒水平有所提高。然而，参与者强调振动触觉设备需要纳入个性化机制，使其能够针对不同身体部位动态调整振动强度。这些发现可能为CI使用者开辟新的治疗方法。
