# Temporal processing and speech understanding in older cochlear implantees

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2020 · $307,164

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: A cochlear-implant (CI) restores high levels of speech understanding to individuals across the
lifespan. However, a gap in knowledge exists because we do not understand how aging affects hearing in CI
users. Aging is associated with changes at multiple levels of the brain, thereby making it difficult to determine if
the poorer auditory performance that occurs with advancing age is a result of changes in the auditory periph-
ery, central auditory neural structures, cognition, or a combination of the three mechanisms. Since a CI by-
passes the cochlea, we propose an innovative approach for investigating aging and hearing by using a human
CI model. Using age (younger vs older adults) and group (CI vs normal hearing, NH) comparisons will allow us
to determine the age-related contributions of cochlear and central factors to hearing. The long-term goals of
this project are to (1) determine how to maximally remediate age-related auditory and cognitive processing def-
icits with a CI and (2) better understand the biological effects of auditory aging. The objective of this grant is to
establish age as an observable and significant factor for auditory temporal processing in CI users. Our central
hypothesis is that advancing age significantly degrades central temporal processing and speech understanding
abilities in CI users, which is independent of the age-related peripheral hearing loss that occurs in acoustically-
hearing subjects. The rationale for the proposed research is that there is a rapidly increasing number of older
adults that elect to receive a CI, but there is essentially no research on this specific population that fully utilizes
the available array of research tools to study hearing in this population; our field arguably has minimal direct
evidence and understanding of age-related changes to auditory processing of electrical stimulation. With
strong preliminary data in hand, the central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing three specific aims: (1) De-
termine the extent to which temporal processing abilities decrease with age using highly-controlled and simple
(non-speech) stimuli in CI subjects; (2) Determine the extent to which age-related temporal processing factors
affect speech understanding in CI subjects; and (3) Determine the extent to which aging affects cortical tem-
poral encoding of speech in CI subjects. This approach is innovative because: (1) the topic of aging in older CI
users is an under-studied area and (2) by using a CI model, we will better understand the biological factors un-
derlying how aging affects hearing. Our outcomes will provide a significant positive impact on hearing and un-
derstanding speech with a CI, which will increase CI users' quality of life.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9915828
- **Project number:** 5R01AG051603-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew J. Goupell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $307,164
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-30 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9915828

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9915828, Temporal processing and speech understanding in older cochlear implantees (5R01AG051603-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9915828. Licensed CC0.

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