Pinna-Imitating Microphone Directionality Improves Sound Localization and Discrimination in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users.
Tim Fischer, Christoph Schmid, Martin Kompis and 3 others
PMID 32701730WHAT IT FOUND
A pinna-imitating microphone mode significantly reduced front-back sound confusions in bilateral cochlear implant users compared to standard omnidirectional mode.
However, it did not significantly improve the ability to track moving sounds. The benefit was specific to static localization and discrimination tasks.
Key findings
01The pinna-imitating mode significantly reduced the overall sound localization error when front-back confusions were included, compared to the omnidirectional mode.
02The pinna-imitating mode significantly improved the ability to discriminate sounds at the sides, reducing the minimum audible angle from 75.5 degrees to 37.7 degrees.
03There was no statistically significant improvement in sound-source tracking performance with the pinna-imitating mode compared to the omnidirectional mode.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study had a small sample size of only 12 bilateral cochlear implant users. The tracking tasks showed no significant benefit from the PI mode, suggesting the improvement is limited to static localization and discrimination. Automatic gain control settings in the audio processors may have distorted interaural level differences, potentially affecting the tracking results. The study was single-blinded, and while counterbalanced, the participants were not informed about which setting was active.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the pinna-imitating mode will help patients track moving sounds or navigate dynamic environments. The study found no significant improvement in sound-source tracking performance, meaning the benefit is restricted to localizing and discriminating static sounds.