The Effect of Advanced Age on the Electrode-Neuron Interface in Cochlear Implant Users.
Jeffrey Skidmore, Brittney L Carter, William J Riggs and 1 others
PMID 34935648WHAT IT FOUND
In cochlear implant users, advanced age did not significantly reduce the quality of the connection between the implant electrode and the nerve.
However, the strength of the neural response grew more slowly in older adults, and the connection quality varied by electrode location.
Key findings
01There was no significant effect of age group on the local electrode-neuron interface index.
02Middle-aged adults had significantly larger slopes in their neural response growth functions than elderly adults.
03Electrode location significantly affected the quality of the electrode-neuron interface, with better quality in the apical region.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analytical model was trained on data from children, which may not perfectly reflect the physiology of adults. The study could not control for other factors that affect the nerve, such as the cause of hearing loss or how long the person was deaf before implantation. The finding of no age effect on the overall interface index contradicts some previous studies that found age-related declines in specific measures.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that older adults have generally poorer cochlear implant function. The study found no significant age-related decline in the overall quality of the electrode-nerve interface, even though one specific measure of neural response growth was reduced in the elderly group.