Improving Localization and Speech Reception in Noise for Bilateral Cochlear Implant Recipients.

Experiment 1 had 8 participants and Experiment 2 had 12 participants, so the findings are lab-based and may not apply to all bilateral cochlear implant users. The linked AGC condition used a custom accessory cable and modified firmware, not a commercially available clinical setup. Take-home testing was small and optional: 6 participants wore the linked map, 5 kept diaries, and the linked map was identified for comparison, which could bias subjective ratings. The paper did not test localization with Autosensitivity enabled in the laboratory, so real-world localization benefits cannot be separated from Autosensitivity or other SmartSound features. The speech result comparing Autosensitivity off and on used different sessions and dates, and the paper warns this comparison is post hoc. Not all speaker locations improved: at +70 degrees, linked AGCs did not significantly improve localization after correction. Participants were experienced routine bilateral users, so results may not apply to new users or unilateral implant users.

The laboratory testing was done at Cochlear Americas research labs, and participants were paid for their time and reimbursed for travel. The supplied text does not give an author conflict of interest statement or funding declaration.

Do not conclude that linked automatic gain control is a commercially available or superior option to Autosensitivity. It was tested with a custom cable and modified firmware, and when Autosensitivity was enabled in continuous noise, linked and independent automatic gain control performance did not differ significantly.