The Relationships Between Cochlear Nerve Health and AzBio Sentence Scores in Quiet and Noise in Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Users

The IPGEslope and the PLV quantify different aspects of CN health. The positive association between the PLV and AzBio scores in the +5 dB SNR condition suggests that neural synchrony is important for speech perception in adult CI users in challenging listening conditions with a relatively high noise level. The lack of association between age and the PLV indicates that reduced neural synchrony in the CN might not be the primary factor accounting for the greater deficits in understanding speech in noise observed in older CI users, as compared with middle-aged CI users.