Effect of cochlear implantation on adults with unilateral deafness v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Auditory neuroplasticity induced by cochlear implantation in adults with unilateral deafness
IRAS ID
136589
Contact name
Michael Maslin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Research summary
Individuals with unilateral deafness are known to suffer a range of hearing difficulties including reduced clarity of sound, difficulty understanding speech in noise, increased listening effort and difficulty with localising sound.
These problems are known to arise from the absence of binaural hearing (i.e. hearing in stereo) that occurs with the loss of hearing in one ear only. Under normal circumstances the brain compares sound reaching each ear to help filter out background noise or localise sounds from different directions. Individuals with uniteral deafness can not do this.
Until recently there has been no way to restore binaural hearing in individuals with unilateral deafness, even with use of a conventional hearing aid. However, recent advances in cochlear implantation (a type of surgically implantable hearing aid) have lead to limited restoration of binaural hearing in unilaterally deaf individuals. However, some of these individuals achieve better outcomes than others.
The reasons for this variation are unknown but one possibility lies with how readily the brain is able to adapt to the new input from the cochlear implant, although this has not been formally investigated. The present study therefore aims to measure the physiological adaptability, or plasticity, in the brains of adults with unilateral deafness following cochlear implantation. Improved understanding of this topic may lead to more effective management of such patients in future.
The intention is to make one measurement prior to surgery and three further measurements, over time, after surgery for a comparison
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0806
Date of REC Opinion
27 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion