Spatial cognition in cochlear implant users: The role of otolith dysfunction

BackgroundSensory impairments such as hearing loss and vestibular disorders can affect spatial cognition.ObjectiveThis study assessed the spatial cognitive abilities of cochlear implant (CI) users with hearing loss and compared them based on otolith functions.MethodsThe study has a control group and two subgroups. The first study group had 19 CI users with otolith dysfunction, and the second had 21 without. The control group had 20 healthy, age-, gender-, and education-matched volunteers. The triangle completion task (TCT), the spatial orientation test (SOT), and the four mountains test assessed spatial ability.ResultsResearch indicates that CI users with otolith dysfunction had significantly larger deviation angles and distances in TCT compared to healthy controls (p < .001). Statistically significant differences in SOT were found between groups (p < .001). Healthy controls had the lowest SOT score, whereas CI users with otolith dysfunction had the highest. In 4 MT, CI users with and without otolith dysfunction had more mistakes than controls (p < .05).ConclusionsResearch shows that otolith information is important for path integration and spatial navigation, and hearing loss worsens spatial memory degradation. These impairments impede spatial skills, which are essential for daily tasks like shopping and driving and for spatial memory, learning, and navigation.