Evaluating binaural hearing capabilities in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss through bilateral bone conduction stimulation.

This study investigated the impact of bilateral bone conduction (BC) stimulation and sensorineural hearing loss on spatial release from masking, binaural intelligibility level difference, and lateralization. The study involved two groups of adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss: one group of 21 participants with symmetric hearing loss and another group of nine participants with asymmetric hearing loss. All tests were conducted through BC and air conduction (AC) headsets with non-individualized virtual positions of the sound sources and linear amplification based on individual hearing thresholds.

Finite element analysis on the human and guinea pig cochlear vibration patterns under bone conduction stimulations.

To compare the vibrational patterns of human and guinea pig cochleae accurately, we developed and validated a novel finite element model of the guinea pig, leveraging it to analyze vibrational patterns in the cochlea. This approach is mirrored in our examination of the human cochlear model, providing granular insights into the nuances of human bone conduction hearing. The comparative analysis reveals that the guinea pig cochlea mirrors human cochlear vibrational patterns, thus serving as an efficient proxy for exploring human cochlear function.

Spatial Release From Masking With Bilateral Bone Conduction Stimulation at Mastoid for Normal Hearing Subjects.

This study investigates the effect of spatial release from masking (SRM) in bilateral bone conduction (BC) stimulation at the mastoid. Nine adults with normal hearing were tested to determine SRM based on speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) in simulated spatial configurations ranging from 0 to 180 degrees. These configurations were based on nonindividualized head-related transfer functions.

Inter-aural separation during hearing by bilateral bone conduction stimulation.

Cross-head transmission inherent in bone conduction (BC) hearing is one of the most important factors that limit the performance of BC binaural hearing compared to air conduction (AC) binaural hearing. In AC, cross-head transmission is imperceptible leading to a clear understanding of the nature and position of the sound source(s). In this study, the prominence of cross-head transmission in BC hearing is addressed using the fact that ipsilateral cochlear excitation can be canceled by controlled bilateral BC stimulation.

Analysis of cross-talk cancellation of bilateral bone conduction stimulation.

When presenting a stereo sound through bilateral stimulation by two bone conduction transducers (BTs), part of the sound at the left side leaks to the right side, and vice versa. The sound transmitted to the contralateral cochlea becomes cross-talk, which can affect space perception. The negative effects of the cross-talk can be mitigated by a cross-talk cancellation system (CCS).