Relationships Between the Auditory Nerve Sensitivity to Amplitude Modulation, Perceptual Amplitude Modulation Rate Discrimination Sensitivity, and Speech Perception Performance in Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Users.
Shuman He, Jeffrey Skidmore, Brandon Koch and 3 others
PMID 36342278WHAT IT FOUND
In 18 adult cochlear implant users, the auditory nerve response to 20 Hz amplitude changes did not match the ability to tell apart modulation rates, and it did not track word scores in quiet or noise.
Key findings
01The difference in auditory nerve sensitivity to amplitude modulation between two electrodes did not account for differences in perceptual modulation rate discrimination within the same ear.
02Auditory nerve sensitivity to amplitude modulation was not significantly associated with word recognition in quiet or in noise.
03Correlating measures from only one electrode location with word scores gave inconsistent results, so single-site data can be misleading.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 18 participants were tested, and five had bilateral implants, so ears from the same person were not independent. Many participants had relatively good speech performance, which may have created ceiling effects on the modulation measures. Modulation rate discrimination was tested at 20 Hz only, so the null finding may not apply to lower or higher rates. Noise testing used +10 dB only, and 5 dB was avoided because of floor effects. AMRDT was measured at up to five electrodes in 16 ears, which may not represent overall auditory nerve function. The electrode pair with the largest difference in nerve sensitivity was selected after looking at the nerve data, and only 16 ears had enough artifact-free recordings for that comparison.
Declared interests
The article metadata lists NIH extramural research support, and the paper declares no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that amplitude modulation cues are unimportant for cochlear implant speech perception. This study tested 20 Hz modulation, used a small sample, and found no association with word scores in quiet or at +10 dB noise; it does not rule out effects at other rates, in harder listening conditions, or through central auditory processes.