# Mechanisms and Effects of Hearing Loss After Cochlear Implantation

> **NIH NIH R56** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $751,323

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Approximately 22 million Americans have a hearing impairment. Cochlear implants (CIs), a neural
prosthesis developed to treat severe hearing loss, have significantly improved speech understanding in quiet
for many individuals with hearing loss. However, benefit remains highly variable across the patient population,
and speech understanding in noise remains a problem.
 A recent advance is the Electro-Acoustic Stimulation (EAS) CI, which allows combined electric and
acoustic stimulation in the same ear. EAS dramatically improves speech perception in noise, voice
recognition, and musical melody recognition. These benefits are proportional to the amount of residual hearing
preserved after cochlear implantation. However, 30-55% of EAS CI recipients lose more than 30 dB of
residual hearing after implantation, which can negate these benefits. In addition, increased age is associated
with greater hearing loss. In order to improve hearing preservation and EAS outcomes, we need to understand
the mechanisms of post-implantation hearing loss.
 Hearing preservation may also improve outcomes for the general CI population. Traditional CI users with
hearing preservation have better outcomes even with just the CI alone, suggesting a relationship between
hearing preservation and effectiveness of electrical stimulation. In order to improve CI outcomes for all
patients, it is critical to understand how and why CI performance is related to residual hearing preservation.
 In this proposal, we will investigate 1) the potential mechanisms of hearing loss after implantation, and the
interaction with age; and 2) the impact of this hearing loss on electrical stimulation with the CI. The findings
will guide the selection of more targeted drugs or treatments that improve hearing preservation and general
outcomes with CIs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10225708
- **Project number:** 1R56DC018387-01
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lina A. Reiss
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $751,323
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10225708

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10225708, Mechanisms and Effects of Hearing Loss After Cochlear Implantation (1R56DC018387-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10225708. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*