OBJECTIVES: Speech recognition outcomes vary widely in cochlear implant recipients, but the reasons for this variability are not well explained by patient history factors alone. Neuroplastic reorganization after both deafness and cochlear implant switch-on can affect how new recipients adapt to electrical hearing....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Brain imaging measures of superior temporal gyrus activation contralateral to the CI may serve as a useful pre- or post-implantation predictor of speech recognition outcomes, though this is not yet ready for routine clinical use.
Identifying reliable neural biomarkers that predict CI speech recognition outcomes could transform candidacy assessment and personalize post-implantation rehabilitation.
- 01Contralateral superior temporal gyrus activation to auditory and visual speech predicts CI speech recognition outcomes.
- 02Both auditory-evoked and visual speech-evoked (lip-reading) brain responses were assessed.
- 03Published in Ear & Hearing (2026).
- 04Potential biomarker for CI candidacy or outcome prediction.
- 05Could eventually guide personalized rehabilitation strategies for CI recipients.
Auditory- and visual-speech evoked activation of the superior temporal gyrus contralateral to the cochlear implant predicts speech recognition outcomes.
studysupported- PMID
- 42841880
- DOI
- 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001900.
- Journal
- Ear and Hearing
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Cochlear implant recipients
- Intervention
- Measurement of auditory- and visual-speech evoked superior temporal gyrus activation contralateral to CI
Primary outcomes
Speech recognition outcomes in cochlear implant recipients; Superior temporal gyrus activation in response to auditory and visual speech