Positron emission tomography in cochlear implant and auditory brain stem implant recipients.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether similar cortical regions are activated by speech signals in profoundly deaf patients who have received a multichannel cochlear implant (CI) or auditory brain stem implant (ABI) as in normal-hearing subjects. STUDY DESIGN: Positron emission tomography (PET) studies were performed using a variety of discrete stimulus conditions. Images obtained were superimposed on standard anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the CI subjects. The PET images were superimposed on the ABI subject's own MRI. SETTING: Academic, tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Five subjects who have received a multichannel CI and one who had received an ABI. INTERVENTION: Multichannel CI and ABI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: PET images. RESULTS: Similar cortical regions are activated by speech stimuli in subjects who have received an auditory prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroimaging provides a new approach to the study of speech processing in CI and ABI subjects.