Grant title: Experience related brain plasticity in processing of interaural time differences
Principal (co-)investigators: Qingling Meng 孟庆林, Jan Schnupp
Grant scheme: Shenzhen Science and Innovation Fund Grant Nr. JCYJ20180307124024360 (9680260)
Funding amount: RMB 500,000
Grant duration: 01.06.2019 - 31.05.2021
Abstract: The number of cochlear implants (CI) implanted patients has shown a growing trend. In the currently available CI technology, electrodes implanted in the cochlea produce electrical stimulation to the auditory nerve, which can provide a certain hearing ability to many patients. However, CI performance is still not perfect, especially in domains such as the perception of spatial sound cues, where discrimination of the interaural time difference (ITD) perception remains poor. The purpose of this study is to reveal and quantify the changes in brain plasticity mediating these effects. Ultimately, this will allow a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the robustness and reversibility of plasticity-related changes in CI users.