Op#mizingHearingPerformancewithaWirelessRemote

MicrophoneAudioStreamingAccessory

SaraNeumann,Au.D.ElizabethMusgrave,Au.D.

JaceWolfe,Ph.DMilaDuke,Au.D.

TheHeartsforHearingTeamAudiologists Addi#onalTeamMembersJaceWolfe,Ph.D.,CCC-A KrisHopperKerriBrumleyPa#BurnsKrystalHudgens,Au.D.,CCC-A SherryEdwardsSusanLaFleurReynaRomeroMeganMarsh,Au.D.,CCC-A Kris#MurphyChris#anBoone KelseyKuehnSaraNeumann,Au.D.,CCC-A VernedaOsborneRachelOdor JackieKeathlyMilaDuke,Au.D.,CCC-A SabrinaCaliseRocioPor#lloElizabethMusgrave,Au.D.,CCC-A RachelMagann-Faivre,Au.D.,F-AAAJohnnaWallace,Au.D.,CCC-ASarahCain,Au.D.,F-AAAEmilyMills,B.S.,AudiologyInternAmandaHeadley,B.S.,AudiologyIntern

Speech-LanguagePathologistsJoannaT.Smith,M.S.,CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTTamaraElder,M.S.CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTDarcyStowe,M.S.CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTLindsayHanna,M.S.,CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTCarlyGraham,M.S.,CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTCaseyYates,M.S.,CCC-SLPJenniferBryngelson,CCC-SLP,LSLSCert.AVTTessaHixon,M.S.,CCC-SLPParkerWilson,M.A.,CFY-SLP

CollaboratorErinC.Schafer,Ph.D.,CCC-A,Univ.ofNorthTexas

Disclosure

Thisresearchwaspar0allyfundedbyagrantfromCochlearAmericas

TheProblem

•  Cochlearimplantrecipientsexperiencedifficultywith:– Understandingspeechinnoise– Understandingspeechinreverberantenvironments

– Understandingspeechfromadistance

WirelessAudioStreamingforImplants

Previous research has shown up to a 60 percentage point improvement in sentence recognition in noise with use of the Cochlear Mini Mic

Nucleus 6 (CP920) Cochlear Mini Mic

Can performance improve with changes in Nucleus 6 mixing ratio and/or Mini Mic volume control?

StudyObjec0ve

•  Evaluatetheeffectoftwoparametersonsentencerecogni#oninnoisewithCochlearMiniMic–  AccessoryMixingRa#o– MiniMicVolumeControlSeVng

Subjects

•  10Nucleus6Users–  Age:

•  Range:10-77yearsold;Mean:60.7yearsold–  UnilateralandBilateralCIUsers

•  NucleusCI24R,CI24RE,CI422,andCI512.•  Unilateralrecipientsdidnotusehearingaid(earplugged).

–  AverageDura0onofHearingLoss:24.8–  AverageDura0onofSeveretoProfoundHearingLoss:10.4

Equipment

Nucleus 6 Sound Processor (CI920)

Cochlear Mini Mic

Equipment

•  Nucleus6soundprocessorprogrammedwithpar0cipant’sprogram– ASC+ADRO(NoSCANorSNR-NR)– VolumeControlsettopar0cipant’sMCL

Assessment•  Measuredsentencerecogni#oninquietandinnoisewithandwithoutCochlearMiniMic– AzBioSentences(Spahretal.,2012):

• Presenta#onLevel– 85dBAatMiniMic(6inchesfromloudspeakerusedtopresentsentences)– 65dBAatloca#onofpar#cipant

– UncorrelatedClassroomNoise(Schafer&Thibodeau,2006)•  Quiet&Noiseat60,65,70,and75dBA•  Noiseleveliden#calatMiniMicandatsubjectloca#on

– Onelistpercondi#on(20sentences)

Nose Noise

EquipmentSetup

AzBio

NOISE

schematic diagram

6 in

24 ft, 8 in

25 ft, 3 in

8 ft, 6 in

NOISE

NOISE NOISE

15ft, 6 in

17 ft

EquipmentSetup

Ambient Noise Level: 44 dBA Reverberation: 0.6 sec

Condi0ons

•  AccessoryMixingRa0o(MiniMicatdefaultVC)– 1:1– 2:1– AccessoryOnly

•  MiniMicVolumeControlSe_ng(MixingRa0oat1:1)– DefaultVolumeControlSe_ng– +6dB– +12dB

RESULTS

NoRemoteMic

0 0 AzB

io S

ente

nce

Rec

ogni

tion

% C

orre

ct

Noise Level (dBA)

MiniMicBenefit1:1MixingRa0o/DefaultVCSe_ng

AzB

io S

ente

nce

Rec

ogni

tion

% C

orre

ct

Noise Level (dBA)

MixingRa0oEffectDefaultMiniMicVC

AzB

io S

ente

nce

Rec

ogni

tion

% C

orre

ct

Noise Level (dBA)

No significant difference

MiniMicVCEffect1:1MixingRa0o

AzB

io S

ente

nce

Rec

ogni

tion

% C

orre

ct

Noise Level (dBA)

No significant difference

Nucleus6SignalPathway

Figure3

Microphone

DirectAuditory/TelecoilInput

ASC

Mixing

ASC

Attenuates noise at N6 microphone Further decreases with mixing ratio have little effect

Mini Mic VC increases are being compressed by ASC and/or AGC

Conclusions•  UseoftheCochlearMiniMicprovidessignificantimprovement

inhearingperformanceinnoise

•  Adjus0ngtheaccessorymixingra0oappearstohavelicleeffectonspeechrecogni0oninnoiseforrecipientsusingASC

•  IncreasingtheMiniMicvolumecontrolfromthedefaultse_ngappearstohavelicleeffectonspeechrecogni0oninnoise–  ThesefindingsmaybeacributedtocompressionfromASCand/orAGC

•  Researchisongoingtoexplorestrategiestofurtherimprovespeechrecogni0oninnoiseforNucleus6/MiniMicusers

ShootfortheMoon!

•  THANKYOUFORYOURATTENTION