gms | German Medical Science

Fourth International Symposium and Workshops: Objective Measures in Cochlear Implants

Medical University of Hannover

01.06. bis 04.06.2005, Hannover

Article

Send article

Lateralisation of speech processing in cochlear implant users

Meeting Abstract

Search Medline for

  • K.M.J. Green - Department of Otolaryngology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
  • P.J. Julyan - North Western Medical Physics, and the Manchester PET Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
  • D.L. Hastings - North Western Medical Physics, and the Manchester PET Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
  • R.T. Ramsden - Department of Otolaryngology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK

Medical University of Hannover, Department of Otolaryngology. Fourth International Symposium and Workshops: Objective Measures in Cochlear Implants. Hannover, 01.-04.06.2005. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2005. Doc05omci064

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/omci2005/05omci064.shtml

Published: May 31, 2005

© 2005 Green et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

Text

This study aimed to investigate hemispheric speech processing in cochlear implant users. Cortical activity resulting from auditory stimulation was measured using [18F]-FDG positron emission tomography. Eighteen adult cochlear implant users were studied over the course of 29 activation states. Four main effects were observed: (i) bilateral auditory cortical activation was present in all subjects; (ii) activity was greater in the left than the right primary areas; (iii) activity was greater in the association areas contralateral to the side of implantation; and (iv) visual cortical responses were higher in patients with left than right cochlear implants. These data demonstrate that there is no strong left hemisphere dominance for language in cochlear implant users, and suggest that lateralisation of association area speech processing shifts following cochlear implantation. The additional visual recruitment in the left implant users may be as a result of excessive demands on the speech processing abilities of the right auditory areas. In total, these findings provide evidence of the development of new speech processing strategies that occur following cochlear implantation.