This study was undertaken to evaluate the musical sounds in cochlear implants (MuSIC) perception test, created to assess the music-listening abilities of cochlear implant (CI) users. Thirty-one unilateral MED-EL COMBI 40+/PULSARCI(100) users and a control group of 67 adults with normal hearing (NH) participated. The MuSIC test comprises six objective and two subjective modules employing approximately 2800 musical files recorded from non-synthesized instruments. A subset was used for comparing CI and NH participants' results. CI and NH participants performed significantly differently on: pitch discrimination, melody discrimination, chord discrimination, instrument detection, and instrument identification. No significant difference in performance was seen on the subtests of rhythm discrimination or dissonance rating and emotion rating. The MuSIC test was found to be a valuable tool for assessing music perception in CI users and NH participants, whether investigating one aspect of music perception in depth or conducting a broad survey of music perception.

Speech coding might have an impact on music perception of cochlear implant users. This questionnaire study compares the musical activities and perception of postlingually deafened cochlear implant users with three different coding strategies (CIS, ACE, SPEAK) using the Munich Music Questionnaire. Overall, the self-reported perception of music of CIS, SPEAK, and ACE users did not differ by very much.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a prototype interactive music awareness program (IMAP) for adult cochlear implant (CI) users. An unblinded, randomized crossover design was used. Twenty-one CI users were recruited and allocated to two groups. Group 1 received the IMAP first, followed by a retention of learning phase. Group 2 were given the IMAP after 12 weeks. Participants were instructed to undertake two half-hour sessions per week at home over 12 weeks. Both groups attended appointments at the start, halfway through, and at the end of the trial. At each appointment participants completed tests of speech perception, melodic contour identification, and instrument recognition, rated the sound quality of music, and indicated their music listening habits. Sixteen participants completed the study. Following training both groups showed improved instrument recognition abilities and feedback suggests further positive impact on participants’ lives. The findings suggest that the IMAP is beneficial for music perception and in particular, improved instrument recognition.

The workshops proved to be an effective means of simultaneously encouraging music exploration in a social and safe environment and obtaining feedback on prototype rehabilitation materials. Survey data suggested that through group listening and practical activities, certain aspects of music can be accessible and rewarding through a CI, leading to positive changes in attitude and behavior toward music.

1Individual adjustment of frequency-to-electrode assignment in cochlear implants may 2 potentially improve speech perception outcomes. Twelve adult cochlear implant (CI) 3 users were recruited for an experiment, in which frequency maps were adjusted using 4 insertion angles estimated from post-operative X-rays; results were analyzed for ten 5 participants with good quality X-rays. The allocations were a mapping to the 6 Greenwood function, a compressed map limited to the area containing spiral ganglion 7 cells (SG), a reduced frequency range map (RFR) and participants' clinical maps. A 8 trial period of at least six weeks was given for the clinical, Greenwood and SG maps 9 although participants could return to their clinical map if they wished. Performance 10 with the Greenwood map was poor for both sentence and vowel perception and 11 correlated with insertion angle; performance with the SG map was poorer than for the 12 clinical map. The RFR map was significantly better than the clinical map for three 13 participants, for sentence perception, but worse for three others.