Study Overview
Although cochlear implants can significantly improve auditory speech perception in individuals with severe to profound hearing loss, the procedure’s success rate is difficult to predict.
Certain factors in the brain may contribute to the large unexplained variance in individuals’ abilities to hear and understand spoken language after getting CI(s).
Nebraska’s innovative brain imaging research may shed light on brain-based factors, particularly those driven by brain plasticity, that contribute to why some adults with CI have better outcomes than others.
Our mission is to gain a comprehensive understanding of factors in the brain that predict future hearing improvements among candidates for cochlear implants.
Study Goals
Identify pre-surgical brain-based factors that predict post-surgical CI outcomes.
Examine how the brain’s structure and function change to adapt to the implant.
Support effective post-surgical planning and rehabilitation for CI candidates.
Build and share knowledge on ways to use brain scans in clinical practices for CI candidates.
Support
Funding for the BACIC Project is provided by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the Great Plains IDeA-Clinical & Translational Research collaborative network.
