Voice pitch control in cochlear implant users

This proposal aims to investigate vocal production by users of Med-El cochlear implants (CI), in response to feedback alteration of their voice pitch. The originality of this proposal is to shift the usual focus of CI research from perception to production. We feel that the history of Med-El research on pitch coding would strongly benefit from this novel perspective because the characteristics that make voice pitch more audible may not necessarily be the same characteristics that are relevant to the speech motor planning areas of the brain. It also has repercussions on music research, since it concerns the ability of CI users to regulate their voice pitch while singing with the distorted feedback they receive from their implant.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alexandre Lehmann

Student:

Razieh ALEMI

Partner:

MED-EL Canada Corporation

Discipline:

Visual arts

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: