Influence of Electric Frequency-to-Place Mismatches on the Early Speech Recognition Outcomes for Electric-Acoustic Stimulation Users.

Small sample of 21 with unequal group sizes (15 default, 6 place-based), and the authors describe the data as preliminary with recruitment still ongoing. The range of electric mismatch was limited (2 to -12 semitones), so the effect of very large mismatches is not captured. Only 6 months of follow-up; long-term acclimatization to mismatch is unknown. The place-based mapping procedure created small spectral gaps in two participants and does not account for electric current spread from basal contacts. The cochlear place frequency was estimated using a population-level function, not individualized to each participant's anatomy.

MED-EL Corporation, the manufacturer of the Sonnet2 EAS processor and electrode arrays used in the study, provided a research grant to the university. Additional funding came from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Do not read this as proof that place-based mapping is superior to default mapping. The place-based group had only 6 participants, two of whom had spectral gaps, and the finding is about the magnitude of mismatch as a continuous variable, not a direct head-to-head comparison of two mapping strategies.