Auditory Perception in Cochlear Implantation

Cochlear implantation is a unique development in the field of human sensory system prosthetics. Electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve induces near-natural auditory sensations. Despite significant progress in the development of cochlear implants (CI), the quality of users’ auditory perception remains significantly limited. The greatest difficulties for CI users arise in difficult communication situations, such as speech perception in noise or with multiple speakers. There are many factors, both technical and physiological, which make speech intelligibility difficult for CI users. Speech perception in CI users is restricted due to poor frequency resolution, pitch distortion, and dynamic range compression. Poor frequency resolution is apparent as decreases in the intelligibility of speech and the ability to perceive music. One important aspect is the state of the central mechanisms of hearing, especially for children with congenital deafness. As a child ages, brain plasticity decreases and the formation of central auditory mechanisms becomes more difficult, so implantation should be carried out at the earliest possible age after hearing loss is detected. Studying the characteristics of auditory perception during electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve not only suggests innovative approaches to improving the hearing abilities of CI users, but also identifies new directions for research into the human auditory system.