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LOS ANGELES - July 23, 2002 - Scientists at the House Ear Institute (HEI)
were awarded three research grants and contracts to conduct cochlear
implant studies totaling more than $4 million in the first and second
quarters of 2002. These grants fund scientific research that advances
auditory implant technology and our understanding of how implant users
perceive and interpret sound. The National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a division of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), awarded the research grants received by HEI scientists.
Laurie Eisenberg, Ph.D., received a subcontract as part of a larger grant
from NIH/NIDCD for her examination of Childhood Development after Cochlear
Implantation. Dr. Eisenberg is a co-investigator among a consortium of
experts from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and other centers who are
working to identify factors influencing oral language acquisition in young
children with cochlear implants.
"This study involving multiple centers is crucial to gathering and
synthesizing long-term outcomes on measures of speech recognition,
language acquisition, psychosocial development, and quality of life among
young children who receive cochlear implants," said co-investigator,
Laurie Eisenberg, Ph.D. "With this new kind of data we hope to provide
parents and professionals with more definitive answers about the
importance and validity of implanting young children with profound
sensorineural hearing loss, particularly young infants."
Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D., received a 5-year grant from NIH/NIDCD for her
project titled "Complex Stimulus Perception with Cochlear Implants."
Although most cochlear implant users today enjoy reasonably good speech
understanding in quiet, they generally experience severe deterioration of
performance in the presence of background noise.
"Our investigation of the basic principles underlying the perception of
complex, multichannel stimuli by the electrically stimulated auditory
system will help us provide usable speech information through the cochlear
implant, even in the presence of competing sound sources," said principal
investigator, Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D.
Robert V. Shannon, Ph.D., is principal investigator on another cochlear
implant study at HEI that has been funded by NIH/NIDCD. His project,
titled "Frequency Place Mapping in Cochlear Implants," investigates the
causes of variability in cochlear implant performance across patients - a
key area identified by NIH as important for further research. Shannon
hypothesizes that variability is partly due to poor fitting or customizing
of the speech processor parameters to the individual patient, particularly
in the frequency domain. The overall goal of his most recent research is
to develop a quantitative model of the effects of frequency-place
mismatching, which may be used as a guide for improved fitting of speech
processors in cochlear implants
and hearing aids.
Brief History of the Cochlear Implant
In 1960, William F. House, M.D., brother of Institute founder Howard P.
House, M.D., initiated cochlear implant research at the House Ear
Institute (HEI). By the late '70s, Dr. House and his research team at the
Institute had developed a single-channel device ready for implantation in
the human inner ear (cochlea). Initial successes of the first cochlear
implant
devices catalyzed further research and development, and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) established cochlear implants as an area for
federally funded research. The research of Dr. House at HEI and other
newcomers to the field was supported by a group of medical device
manufacturers, which led to further research in multichannel devices and
FDA-approval.
As cochlear implant research has progressed, multichannel devices that use
an array of several electrodes in the cochlea to stimulate multiple groups
of nerves have become favored over the earlier single-channel devices.
Several manufacturers now offer different models of the cochlear implant,
which include a microphone, transmitter coil and speech processor as
external components of the device. The House Ear Clinic is still
considered a leader in the field of cochlear implant surgeries and
rehabilitation, supported by continuing research in auditory implants and
perception at the House Ear Institute. Additionally, HEI's longstanding
education program for visiting physicians has provided specialized
training in auditory implantation to ear specialists throughout the world,
making these procedures available at several medical centers across the
U.S. and abroad.
About the House Ear Institute
The House Ear Institute (HEI) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and
education to improve quality of life. Established in 1946 by Howard P.
House, M.D., as the Los Angeles Foundation of Otology, and later renamed
for its founder, the House Ear Institute has been engaged in the
scientific exploration of the auditory system from the ear canal to the
cortex of the brain for more than 55 years.
Our scientists continue to explore the developing ear and ear diseases at
the cell and molecular level, as well as the complex ear-brain
interaction. They are also working to improve hearing aids and auditory
prostheses such as the cochlear implant and auditory brainstem implant (ABI),
clinical treatments and intervention methods. For information on the House
Ear
Institute, please call (213) 483-4431 or visit the Website at
www.hei.org <http://www.hei.org>.
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