Differences between children and adults with cochlear implants

The auditory system in children who are born with significant hearing loss and develop with the aid of cochlear implant(s) differs from that of children born with normal hearing. When measuring spectral resolution in children with normal hearing, performance generally improves with age through adolescence. A complex relationship exists with age and spectral resolution performance in children with cochlear implants. Some factors that will be discussed in this presentation include demographic factors, such as the duration of severe to profound hearing loss prior to implantation, the age of implantation, the duration of cochlear implant use, the etiology of the hearing loss, and the quality of the interface between the cochlear implant electrodes and the target spiral ganglion neurons. Another important factor includes the methods used for assessing spectral resolution, which are often differ to some extent between these two populations. Studies of the electrode–neuron interface in children with cochlear implants, and psychophysical tuning curves, and vowel and consonant identification in both children with normal hearing and with cochlear implants will be presented. [Work supported by NIH NIDCD R01DC012142.]