Investigating the association between pre-implantation cognitive performance and one-year post-implantation speech perception outcomes in adult cochlear implant recipients using the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status for hearing impaired individuals (RBANS-H)

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether pre-implantation cognitive function, assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status for Hearing Impaired Individuals (RBANS-H) correlates with speech perception oneyear post-implantation, and whether it can serve as a factor explaining unexpected outcome variability in adult Cochlear implant (CI) recipients. METHODS: ). RBANS-H and vocabulary tests were conducted pre-implantation. Phoneme scores were derived using Dutch consonant-vowel-consonant words-in-quiet, collected oneyear post-implantation in best-aided condition. No significant relationships were found for other tasks, domains, total scores or the vocabulary tests. DISCUSSION: tasks with speech outcomes highlight the involvement of attention and memory in perceiving speech with CI or acquiring this ability. CONCLUSION: RBANS-H as a battery may not be sensitive enough to predict outcomes, suggesting the need for a tailored test battery that covers relevant cognitive functions and is sensitive to the specific needs of CI users.