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A Possible Way to Improve the Quality of Speech Perception by Increasing the Number of Electrodes in a Cochlear Implant from 8 to 22

Received: 21 November 2020    Accepted: 8 December 2020    Published: 31 December 2020
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Abstract

A cochlear implant (CI) helps a person with auditory receptor pathology restore the ability to hear and understand speech. The partial loss of the information about the frequency and loudness of the audio signal is the main difference from the natural sound perception. CIs of various types differ in the number of stimulated electrodes: 12, 16, 20, or 22. The quality of speech perception is significantly improved by increasing the number of stimulated electrodes from 4 to 7 and almost does not change with a further increase in the number of electrodes from 8 to 22. When speech is perceived in all types of CI, 3 to 6 adjacent electrodes are usually stimulated simultaneously. When a single electrode is stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with a single pitch. When two adjacent electrodes E(n) and E(n+1) are simultaneously stimulated, a virtual frequency channel (VFC) is formed, and the CI user hears a sound with an intermediate pitch {Z(n)+Z(n+1)}/2, provided that the adjacent electrodes on the right and left are not stimulated. When three or more adjacent electrodes are simultaneously stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with the same pitch, which depends on the distance from the electrode with the largest amplitude of stimulating pulses to the apex of the cochlea. There was no suggestion as to why the quality of speech perception does not improve when the number of electrodes increases from 8 to 22 in the scientific literature for the period from 1997 to 2019. This article proposes a method for adjusting the mode electrodes stimulation, which creates conditions for the formation of virtual frequency channels. The CI user will be able to hear a greater number of sounds of various pitch. A method for correcting the algorithm for controlling the stimulation of electrodes, which can be used in any type of CI, is proposed.

Published in Advances in Applied Physiology (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18
Page(s) 58-69
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Cochlear Implantation, Virtual Frequency Channel, Speech Perception

References
[1] Kim E., Fishman U. A. Speech Recognition as a Function of the Number of Electrodes Used in the Speak Cochlear Implant Speech Processor // JSLHR. 1997. Vol. 40. № 5. P. 1201-1215.
[2] B. Laback et al. Coding of vowellike signals in cochlear implant listeners // JASA. 2004. Vol. 116. № 2. P. 1208-1223.
[3] Swanson B. A. Pitch Perception with Cochlear Implant. Melbourn. 2008. 290 р.
[4] Berg K. A., Noble J. H., Dawant B. M., Labadie R. F., Gifford R. H. “Speech recognition as a function of the number of channels in perimodiolar electrode recipients”. JASA 2019 Vol. 145 (1), 1556 p.
[5] Vandali A. E. et al. Pitch ranking ability of cochlear implant recipients: A comparison of sound-processing strategies // JASA. 2005. Vol. 117. № 5. Р. 3126–3138.
[6] Cochlear Implant Simulation version 2. 0. University of Granada. Granada, December 2004.
[7] McKay C. M., Henshall K. R. Frequency-to-electrode allocation and speech perception with cochlear implants // JASA. 2002. Vol. 111. № 2. P. 1036-1044.
[8] Stefanovich M. (2020). Possible Method of memorizing tonal sound signal frequency in the human auditory system. Advances in applied Physiology, 2019: 19-27.
[9] M. Stefanovich, V. Pudov (2013). Peculiarities of auditory sensations in electrode hearing aids. Neurophysiological mechanisms of the formation of auditory sensations in the perception of a sound signal. Saarbrucken: LAMBERT. 120 p.
[10] Zwicker E., Feldkeller R. (1967). Das Ohr als Nachrichten Empfanger. Stuttgart: Hierzel-Verlag. 250 p.
[11] M. Mauermann (2004). Fine structure of hearing threshold and loudness perception. JASA, 116: 1066-1088.
[12] Patent No: US 7,251,530 B1 31.07.2007. "Optimizing pitch and other Speech stimuli allocation in a Cochlear implant".
[13] Luo Xin. Encoding pitch contours using current steering // JASA. 2010. Vol. 128. № 3. P. 1215-1223.
[14] Looi V. The effect of cochlear Implantation on music perception. A review, 2008. (Tsang D. J. Musical pitch perception with cochlear implants: a comparison of strategies. // Honours dissertation. Melbourne).
[15] Derkach M. F. "Dynamic spectra of speech signals" Lyvov, 1983, 168 p.
[16] Fastl, H., Zwicker, E. "Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models" 2007, 471p.
[17] Munson B., Donaldson G. S. and Allen Shanna L., Collison Elizabeth A., Nelson David A. Patterns of phoneme perception errors by listeners with cochlear implants as a of overall speech perception ability // JASA. 2003. Vol. 113. № 2. Р. 925–935.
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    Margarita Stefanovich. (2020). A Possible Way to Improve the Quality of Speech Perception by Increasing the Number of Electrodes in a Cochlear Implant from 8 to 22. Advances in Applied Physiology, 5(2), 58-69. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18

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    ACS Style

    Margarita Stefanovich. A Possible Way to Improve the Quality of Speech Perception by Increasing the Number of Electrodes in a Cochlear Implant from 8 to 22. Adv. Appl. Physiol. 2020, 5(2), 58-69. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18

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    AMA Style

    Margarita Stefanovich. A Possible Way to Improve the Quality of Speech Perception by Increasing the Number of Electrodes in a Cochlear Implant from 8 to 22. Adv Appl Physiol. 2020;5(2):58-69. doi: 10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18,
      author = {Margarita Stefanovich},
      title = {A Possible Way to Improve the Quality of Speech Perception by Increasing the Number of Electrodes in a Cochlear Implant from 8 to 22},
      journal = {Advances in Applied Physiology},
      volume = {5},
      number = {2},
      pages = {58-69},
      doi = {10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aap.20200502.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aap.20200502.18},
      abstract = {A cochlear implant (CI) helps a person with auditory receptor pathology restore the ability to hear and understand speech. The partial loss of the information about the frequency and loudness of the audio signal is the main difference from the natural sound perception. CIs of various types differ in the number of stimulated electrodes: 12, 16, 20, or 22. The quality of speech perception is significantly improved by increasing the number of stimulated electrodes from 4 to 7 and almost does not change with a further increase in the number of electrodes from 8 to 22. When speech is perceived in all types of CI, 3 to 6 adjacent electrodes are usually stimulated simultaneously. When a single electrode is stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with a single pitch. When two adjacent electrodes E(n) and E(n+1) are simultaneously stimulated, a virtual frequency channel (VFC) is formed, and the CI user hears a sound with an intermediate pitch {Z(n)+Z(n+1)}/2, provided that the adjacent electrodes on the right and left are not stimulated. When three or more adjacent electrodes are simultaneously stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with the same pitch, which depends on the distance from the electrode with the largest amplitude of stimulating pulses to the apex of the cochlea. There was no suggestion as to why the quality of speech perception does not improve when the number of electrodes increases from 8 to 22 in the scientific literature for the period from 1997 to 2019. This article proposes a method for adjusting the mode electrodes stimulation, which creates conditions for the formation of virtual frequency channels. The CI user will be able to hear a greater number of sounds of various pitch. A method for correcting the algorithm for controlling the stimulation of electrodes, which can be used in any type of CI, is proposed.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AU  - Margarita Stefanovich
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    AB  - A cochlear implant (CI) helps a person with auditory receptor pathology restore the ability to hear and understand speech. The partial loss of the information about the frequency and loudness of the audio signal is the main difference from the natural sound perception. CIs of various types differ in the number of stimulated electrodes: 12, 16, 20, or 22. The quality of speech perception is significantly improved by increasing the number of stimulated electrodes from 4 to 7 and almost does not change with a further increase in the number of electrodes from 8 to 22. When speech is perceived in all types of CI, 3 to 6 adjacent electrodes are usually stimulated simultaneously. When a single electrode is stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with a single pitch. When two adjacent electrodes E(n) and E(n+1) are simultaneously stimulated, a virtual frequency channel (VFC) is formed, and the CI user hears a sound with an intermediate pitch {Z(n)+Z(n+1)}/2, provided that the adjacent electrodes on the right and left are not stimulated. When three or more adjacent electrodes are simultaneously stimulated, the CI user hears a sound with the same pitch, which depends on the distance from the electrode with the largest amplitude of stimulating pulses to the apex of the cochlea. There was no suggestion as to why the quality of speech perception does not improve when the number of electrodes increases from 8 to 22 in the scientific literature for the period from 1997 to 2019. This article proposes a method for adjusting the mode electrodes stimulation, which creates conditions for the formation of virtual frequency channels. The CI user will be able to hear a greater number of sounds of various pitch. A method for correcting the algorithm for controlling the stimulation of electrodes, which can be used in any type of CI, is proposed.
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Author Information
  • Independent Researcher, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

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