Electro-Haptic Stimulation: A New Approach for Improving Cochlear-Implant Listening

Frontiers in Neuroscience

Mark D. Fletcher¹  Carl A. Verschuur² 

[1] Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom;Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom;

关键词: vibrotactile;    hearing impaired;    haptic sound-localization;    hearing aid;    neuroprosthetic;    somatosensory;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnins.2021.581414

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Cochlear implants (CIs) have been remarkably successful at restoring speech perception for severely to profoundly deaf individuals. Despite their success, several limitations remain, particularly in CI users’ ability to understand speech in noisy environments, locate sound sources, and enjoy music. A new multimodal approach has been proposed that uses haptic stimulation to provide sound information that is poorly transmitted by the implant. This augmenting of the electrical CI signal with haptic stimulation (electro-haptic stimulation; EHS) has been shown to improve speech-in-noise performance and sound localization in CI users. There is also evidence that it could enhance music perception. We review the evidence of EHS enhancement of CI listening and discuss key areas where further research is required. These include understanding the neural basis of EHS enhancement, understanding the effectiveness of EHS across different clinical populations, and the optimization of signal-processing strategies. We also discuss the significant potential for a new generation of haptic neuroprosthetic devices to aid those who cannot access hearing-assistive technology, either because of biomedical or healthcare-access issues. While significant further research and development is required, we conclude that EHS represents a promising new approach that could, in the near future, offer a non-invasive, inexpensive means of substantially improving clinical outcomes for hearing-impaired individuals.

【 授权许可】

Unknown