Dataset Information

Evaluation of TIMIT sentence list equivalency with adult cochlear implant recipients.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Current measures used to determine sentence recognition abilities in cochlear implant recipients often include tests with one talker and one rate of speech. Performance with these measures may not accurately represent the speech recognition abilities of the listeners. Evaluation of cochlear implant performance should include measures that reflect realistic listening conditions. For example, the use of multiple talkers who vary in gender, rate of speech, and regional dialects represent varied communication interactions that people encounter daily. The TIMIT sentences, which use multiple talkers and incorporate these variations, provide additional test material for evaluating speech recognition. Dorman and colleagues created 34 lists of TIMIT sentences that were normalized for equal intelligibility using simulations of cochlear implant processing with normal-hearing listeners. Adults with sensorineural hearing loss who listen with cochlear implants represent a different population. Further study is needed to determine if these lists are equivalent for adult cochlear implant recipients and, if not, to identify a subset of lists that may be used with this population. PURPOSE:To evaluate the speech recognition equivalence of 34 TIMIT sentence lists with adult cochlear implant recipients. RESEARCH DESIGN:A prospective study comparing test-retest results within the same group of listeners. STUDY SAMPLE:Twenty-two adult cochlear implant recipients who met the inclusion criteria of at least 3 mo device use and a monosyllabic word score of 30% or greater participated in the study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:Participants were administered 34 TIMIT sentence lists (20 sentences per list) at each of two test sessions several months apart. List order was randomized and results scored as percent of words correct. Test-retest correlations and 95% confidence intervals for the means were used to identify equivalent lists with high test-retest reliability. RESULTS:Mean list scores across participants ranged from 66 to 81% with an overall mean of 73%. Twenty-nine lists had high test-retest reliability. Using the overall mean as a benchmark, the 95% confidence intervals indicated that 25 of the remaining 29 lists were equivalent (e.g., the benchmark of 73% fell within the 95% confidence interval for both test and retest). CONCLUSIONS:Twenty-five of the TIMIT lists evaluated are equivalent when used with adult cochlear implant recipients who have open-set word recognition abilities. These lists may prove valuable for monitoring progress, comparing listening conditions or treatments, and developing aural rehabilitation plans for cochlear implant recipients.

SUBMITTER: King SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3428733 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Evaluation of TIMIT sentence list equivalency with adult cochlear implant recipients.

King Sarah E SE Firszt Jill B JB Reeder Ruth M RM Holden Laura K LK Strube Michael M

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 20120501 5

<h4>Background</h4>Current measures used to determine sentence recognition abilities in cochlear implant recipients often include tests with one talker and one rate of speech. Performance with these measures may not accurately represent the speech recognition abilities of the listeners. Evaluation of cochlear implant performance should include measures that reflect realistic listening conditions. For example, the use of multiple talkers who vary in gender, rate of speech, and regional dialects r ...[more]

PMID: 22533975

Similar Datasets

Project description:For French cochlear implant (CI) recipients, in-person clinical auditory rehabilitation is typically provided during the first few years post-implantation. However, this is often inconvenient, it requires substantial time resources and can be problematic when appointments are unavailable. In response, we developed a computer-based home training software ("French AngelSound™") for French CI recipients. We recently conducted a pilot study to evaluate the newly developed French AngelSound™ in 15 CI recipients (5 unilateral, 5 bilateral, 5 bimodal). Outcome measures included phoneme recognition in quiet and sentence recognition in noise. Unilateral CI users were tested with the CI alone. Bilateral CI users were tested with each CI ear alone to determine the poorer ear to be trained, as well as with both ears (binaural performance). Bimodal CI users were tested with the CI ear alone, and with the contralateral hearing aid (binaural performance). Participants trained at home over a one-month period (10 hours total). Phonemic contrast training was used; the level of difficulty ranged from phoneme discrimination in quiet to phoneme identification in multi-talker babble. Unilateral and bimodal CI users trained with the CI alone; bilateral CI users trained with the poorer ear alone. Outcomes were measured before training (pre-training), immediately after training was completed (post-training), and one month after training was stopped (follow-up). For all participants, post-training CI-only vowel and consonant recognition scores significantly improved after phoneme training with the CI ear alone. For bilateral and bimodal CI users, binaural vowel and consonant recognition scores also significantly improved after training with a single CI ear. Follow-up measures showed that training benefits were largely retained. These preliminary data suggest that the phonemic contrast training in French AngelSound™ may significantly benefit French CI recipients and may complement clinical auditory rehabilitation, especially when in-person visits are not possible.

Project description:BackgroundTinnitus is a common problem in patients with a cochlear implant (CI). Between 4% and 25% of CI recipients experience a moderate to severe tinnitus handicap. However, apart from handicap scores, little is known about the real-life impact tinnitus has on those with CIs. We aimed to explore the impact of tinnitus on adult CI recipients, situations impacting tinnitus, tinnitus-related difficulties and their management strategies, using an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach.MethodsA 2-week web-based forum was conducted using Cochlear Ltd.'s online platform, Cochlear Conversation. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data from the forum discussion to develop key themes and sub-themes. To quantify themes and sub-themes identified, a survey was developed in English with face validity using cognitive interviews, then translated into French, German and Dutch and disseminated on the Cochlear Conversation platform, in six countries (Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands and United Kingdom). Participants were adult CI recipients experiencing tinnitus who received a Cochlear Ltd. CI after 18 years of age.ResultsFour key themes were identified using thematic analysis of the discussion forum: tinnitus experience, situations impacting tinnitus, difficulties associated with tinnitus and tinnitus management. Among the 414 participants of the survey, tinnitus burden on average was a moderate problem without their sound processor and not a problem with the sound processor on. Fatigue, stress, concentration, group conversation and hearing difficulties were the most frequently reported difficulties and was reported to intensify when not wearing the sound processor. For most CI recipients, tinnitus seemed to increase when performing a hearing test, during a CI programming session, or when tired, stressed, or sick. To manage their tinnitus, participants reported turning on their sound processor and avoiding noisy environments.ConclusionThe qualitative analysis showed that tinnitus can affect everyday life of CI recipients in various ways and highlighted the heterogeneity in their tinnitus experiences. The survey findings extended this to show that tinnitus impact, related difficulties, and management strategies often depend on sound processor use. This exploratory sequential mixed-method study provided a better understanding of the potential benefits of sound processor use, and thus of intracochlear electrical stimulation, on the impact of tinnitus.

Project description:ImportanceCurrently, no clear guidelines exist regarding clinical testing methods for identifying adult cochlear implant (CI) candidates. Indications provided by the US Food and Drug Administration, Medicare, and private insurers are ambiguous concerning test materials and the level and mode of test presentation. This could lead to wide variability in clinical assessment and, potentially, unequal access to CIs for individuals with clinically significant hearing loss.ObjectiveTo examine the preoperative testing methods used by audiologists in evaluating adult CI candidates across the United States.Design, setting, and participantsA survey assessing audiology practice patterns was created using a Research Electronic Data Capture system hosted at the University of Miami. A link to a survey (65 questions in multiple-choice or rank-order format was distributed electronically along with a request for completion to members of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance and to the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training forum. Responses were collected from January 17 to June 4, 2018. Participation was limited to audiologists who evaluate adult CI candidates, and respondents who do not provide adult CI care were excluded. Collected demographic information included work setting, years of experience, and highest level of education attained.Main outcomes and measuresPercentages, medians, and interquartile ranges were from aggregated responses concerning hearing aid verification methods; testing methods, materials, and practices; nonauditory factors that might affect CI candidacy; audiology practice patterns; and expanded indications for CIs.ResultsAnonymized surveys were returned by 99 respondents; because surveys were available electronically, the number of audiologists who viewed the survey but did not respond was not available. Seven respondents identified themselves as pediatric specialists and were excluded, resulting in a total of 92 surveys available for analysis (denominators vary because respondents could complete the survey without answering all questions). Seventy percent of respondents (51 of 72) were doctors of audiology, and nearly 50% (33 of 74) were employed at universities and academic centers performing more than 50 CIs per year. When assessing adult candidacy for implant, most respondents reported using test materials from the Minimum Speech Test Battery: 96% (51 of 53), using AzBio sentences in quiet; 89% (47 of 53), AzBio sentences in noise; and 100% (53 of 53), the consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant, monosyllabic words test. However, these tests were applied inconsistently, with 39 of 53 respondents (74%) reporting use of a sound pressure level scale and the other 14 (26%) a hearing level scale at various decibel levels, and with some using a single signal-to-noise ratio and others using multiple ratios for sound-in-noise tests. Respondents' definitions of the best aided listening condition for assessing implant candidates also varied widely. Among the nonauditory factors ranked most important for assessing CI candidacy were patient's level of cognition and expectations of CI; yet, few respondents reported including cognitive or psychological tests in the assessment protocol.Conclusions and relevanceFindings of this study reveal considerable variability in preoperative testing methods and practices across health care professionals assessing adult candidates for CI. This lack of standardization in the delivery of care may increase the risk for health care inequities, specifically in access to care for adults with clinically significant hearing loss.

Project description:Background:Cochlear implants (CIs), which have been designed primarily to support spoken communication of persons with severe to profound hearing loss, are highly effective in supporting speech perception in quiet listening conditions. CI users as a group achieve significantly poorer perception and appraisal of music, and speech perception is compromised when background music is present, though outcomes vary considerably across recipients. A number of factors have been identified that contribute to variable music listening experiences, but many questions remain, particularly regarding experiences in everyday life from the perspective of CI users. Purpose:The purpose of this study was twofold: The first aim was to explore the perspectives of adult CI recipients regarding two experiences with music in everyday life: purposeful music listening and background music that competes with spoken conversation. The second aim was to develop a framework of everyday music experiences based upon CI perspectives that could inform future rehabilitative practices and research initiatives. Methods:Qualitative and patient-engaged research methodologies were used to emphasize the perspectives of the CI users. Participants included 40 experienced adult CI users ranging in age from 19 to 81 enrolled in 13 CI centers. Participants completed on-line semi-structured open-ended questionnaires regarding purposeful music listening and background music in conjunction with spoken communication. Responses were analyzed using an iterative inductive coding process consistent with grounded theory methodology. The interrelated themes that emerged from the data were then organized into a model synthesizing components from models on music response and self-management for persons with chronic health conditions. Outcomes:Data analyses informed the development of a Dynamic Problem Solving Model for Management of Music Listening Environments adapted from Hill-Briggs (2003) Problem Solving Model of Chronic Illness Self-Management. Key findings were: (1) Music listening is a dynamic, multifaceted experience; satisfactory listening depended upon optimal combinations of factors; (2) Music listening is effortful, but the extent of satisfaction is influenced by expectations and self-management of the situation; (3) CI users have limited access to resources for optimizing music experiences. Many CI users would consider rehabilitation, but level of commitment and priorities differ across CI users.

Project description:Objectivesto characterize differences in wideband power reflectance for ears with and without cochlear implants (CIs), to describe electrically evoked stapedial reflex (eSR)-induced changes in reflectance, and to evaluate the benefit of a broadband probe for reflex threshold determination for CI recipients. It was hypothesized that reflectance patterns in ears with CIs would be consistent with increased middle ear stiffness and that reflex thresholds measured with a broadband probe would be lower compared with thresholds obtained with a single-frequency probe.DesignEleven CI recipients participated in both wideband reflectance and eSR testing. Ipsilateral reflexes were measured with three probes: a broadband chirp (swept from 200 to 8000 Hz), a 226 Hz tone, and a 678 Hz tone. Wideband reflectance measures acquired from 28 adults without CIs and with normal middle ear function served as a normative data set for comparison.ResultsConsidering the group data, average reflectance was significantly greater for ears with CIs across 250 to 891 Hz and 4238 to 4490 Hz compared with the normative data set, although individual reflectance curves were variable. Some CI recipients also had low 226 Hz admittance, which contributed to the group finding, considering the control group had clinically normal 226 Hz admittance by design. Electrically evoked stapedial reflexes were measurable in nine of 14 ears (64.3%) and in 24 of 46 electrodes (52.5%) tested. Reflex-induced changes in reflectance patterns were unique to the participant/ear, but similar across activators (electrodes) within a given ear. In addition, reflectance values at or above 1000 Hz were affected most by activating the stapedial reflex, even in ears with clinically normal 226 Hz admittance. This is a higher-frequency range than has been reported for acoustically evoked reflex-induced reflectance changes and is consistent with increased middle ear stiffness at rest. Electrically evoked reflexes could be measured more often with the 678 Hz or the broadband probe compared with the 226 Hz probe tone. Although reflex thresholds were lower with the broadband probe compared with the 678 Hz probe in 16 of 24 conditions, this was not a statistically significant finding (Wilcoxon signed-rank test; p = 0.072).ConclusionsThe applications of wideband acoustic immittance measurements (reflectance and reflexes) should also be considered for ears with CIs. Further work is needed to describe changes across time in ears with CIs to more fully understand the reflectance pattern indicating increased middle ear stiffness and to optimize measuring eSRs with a broadband probe.

Dataset Information

Evaluation of TIMIT sentence list equivalency with adult cochlear implant recipients.

Publications

Evaluation of TIMIT sentence list equivalency with adult cochlear implant recipients.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets