Training spatial hearing in unilateral cochlear implant users through reaching to sounds in virtual reality

Abstract

Background and Purpose Use of unilateral cochlear implant (UCI) is associated with limited spatial hearing skills. Evidence that training these abilities in UCI user is possible remains limited. In this study, we assessed whether a Spatial training based on hand-reaching to sounds performed in virtual reality improves spatial hearing abilities in UCI users Methods Using a crossover randomized clinical trial, we compared the effects of a Spatial training protocol with those of a Non-Spatial control training. We tested 17 UCI users in a head-pointing to sound task and in an audio-visual attention orienting task, before and after each training. <br>Study is recorded in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04183348). Results During the Spatial VR training, sound localization errors in azimuth decreased. Moreover, when comparing head-pointing to sounds before vs. after training, localization errors decreased after the Spatial more than the control training. No training effects emerged in the audio-visual attention orienting task. Conclusions Our results showed that sound localization in UCI users improves during a Spatial training, with benefits that extend also to a non-trained sound localization task (generalization). These findings have potentials for novel rehabilitation procedures in clinical contexts.

Active sound source localization in bilateral hearing-impaired children

“…Our loudspeakers were placed at the same angular distance on a semicircular horizontal arch, all equally far from the test subject. Valzolgher et al 45 showed that moving an acoustic target closer to and farther from the listener elicits further active behaviors aimed at reaching and grasping the corresponding sound source; these behaviors can be trained to improve the localization performance.…”

Capturing Visual Attention With Perturbed Auditory Spatial Cues

“…Before starting the experiment, all participants signed an informed consent document, which had received ethical approval from the national ethics committee in France (Ile de France X, N° ID RCB 2019-A02293-54) and registered as clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04183348). The present work focuses on the data collected in the context of a broader sound localization training protocol during the pre-training session only (full results are published in Valzolgher, Todeschini et al, 2022 ; Valzolgher, Gatel, et al, 2022 ; Valzolgher, Bouzaid, et al, 2023 ; and Alzaher et al, 2023 , for NH, bCI, uCI, and uHL participants, respectively). Although the sample size was determined by the research question of the training studies, it is noteworthy that the sample size in each of the groups matches the numerosity of a previous study that investigated a similar experimental question ( Pavani et al, 2017 , N = 17).…”

Training spatial hearing skills in virtual reality through a sound-reaching task

“…These labels change randomly trial by trial. In the experiment 1 [2], white noise sounds were emitted by a real speaker moved by the experimenter around participants [3][4][5][6][7]. The experimenter was guided to reach each of the predetermined positions by following instruction provided on a monitor.…”

“…The findings showed that this type of interaction with sound sources reduced sound localization errors faster and to a greater extent if compared to a control condition in which participants were asked to name sources' labels to identify them. Interestingly, training efficacy generalized to a different sound localization task and extended also to hearing-impaired people [4][5][6][7]. Yet, this approach is unfeasible for rehabilitation at home, and even in the research practice, it requires a great effort and time on the part of the experimenter to move the speaker.…”