Evaluation of musical perception by acoustic vs. electrical stimulation

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the differences in musical perception between electrical and acoustic sound stimulation.

Materials and methods: Adult patients with unilateral cochlear implant, healthy or mild hearing loss in the contralateral ear and rehabilitation time greater than 12 months were evaluated. Musical recognition scales, quality of life Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) and identification of tone, rhythm, instruments, and songs were applied.

Results and conclusions: 6 patients were collected, ages between 37-73 years, healthy ear with a pure tone average (PTA) <40dB, speech discrimination score (SDS): 100% without changes in the postoperative period. The Implanted ear with average PTA between 40 – 58.3 dB and SDS between 70-90% post implantation. The GBI scale was applied where most of the patients obtained positive results, with a range between +41 and -13. Most of the patients improved the frequency of music-listening after implantation (4/6 patients). Half of the patients reported improvement in the role music plays in their lives. In the recognition of the tone and rhythm in the implanted ear, similar results were found after the implantation with respect to the healthy ear, with medians of 17/20 vs 16/20 in tonal patterns and 18.5 / 20 vs 18/20 in rhythmic patterns. The recognition of the songs was better with the lyrics than without the lyrics in the implanted ear, with medians of 8/8 vs 7/8. The recognition of instruments in the implanted ear was 4.5/8 vs 7.5/8 in the healthy ear.