Evaluating Selective Apical Electrode Deactivation for Improving Cochlear Implant Outcomes.

The study included 21 participants, and some participants contributed two ears, so the sample was small. The intervention turned off only one electrode, the second most apical electrode, for every participant, rather than choosing electrodes from each person's placement or neural function. Participants were already used to their clinical map, and the authors said this familiarity may have biased the results toward no difference. The study did not include an extended acclimatization period to see whether benefits appeared after longer use. The sample was screened so no participant had more than amateur-level musical experience, so it may not reflect people with more musical training. The models assumed uniform neural survival across the electrode array, which the authors noted may not match biology.

Funding came from National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders grants F32 DC020347, R01 DC009404, R01 DC014037, and R01 DC014462. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that deactivating the second most apical electrode improves music perception. The group-level pitch, speech, sound quality, and enjoyment results were not significant, and the apparent benefit was only in subjective ratings for some participants.