4034505
doi
10.1177/2331216518781746
oai:zenodo.org:4034505
user-eu
Jürgens, Tim
Hu, Hongmei
Dietz, Mathias
Coherent Coding of Enhanced Interaural Cues Improves Sound Localization in Noise With Bilateral Cochlear Implants
Williges, Ben
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
Binaural Hearing, Cochlear Implants
<p>Bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users only have very limited spatial hearing abilities. Speech coding strategies transmit interaural level differences (ILDs) but in a distorted manner. Interaural time difference (ITD) information transmission is even more limited. With these cues, most BCI users can coarsely localize a single source in quiet, but performance quickly declines in the presence of other sound. This proof-of-concept study presents a novel signal processing algorithm specific for BCIs, with the aim to improve sound localization in noise. The core part of the BCI algorithm duplicates a monophonic electrode pulse pattern and applies quasistationary natural or artificial ITDs or ILDs based on the estimated direction of the dominant source. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate different algorithm variants: Experiment 1 tested if ITD transmission alone enables BCI subjects to lateralize speech. Results showed that six out of nine BCI subjects were able to lateralize intelligible speech in quiet solely based on ITDs. Experiments 2 and 3 assessed azimuthal angle discrimination in noise with natural or modified ILDs and ITDs. Angle discrimination for frontal locations was possible with all variants, including the pure ITD case, but for lateral reference angles, it was only possible with a linearized ILD mapping. Speech intelligibility in noise, limitations, and challenges of this interaural cue transmission approach are discussed alongside suggestions for modifying and further improving the BCI algorithm.</p>
Zenodo
2018-07-02
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
4034504
user-eu
award_title=Individualized Binaural Diagnostics and Technology; award_number=716800; award_identifiers_scheme=url; award_identifiers_identifier=https://cordis.europa.eu/projects/716800; funder_id=00k4n6c32; funder_name=European Commission;
award_title=Advancing Binaural Cochlear Implant Technology; award_number=304912; award_identifiers_scheme=url; award_identifiers_identifier=https://cordis.europa.eu/projects/304912; funder_id=00k4n6c32; funder_name=European Commission;
1600347570.517062
778023
md5:a698cd1dc4eb589e63f13d37a8f81fe2
https://zenodo.org/records/4034505/files/Williges et al 2018.pdf
public