Lead Inventors:
Jaclyn B. Spitzer, Ph.D., Dean Mancuso
Music Perception Test May Boost Cochlear Implant Users' Life Quality
Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, affects over 10 million persons in the United States and is a major common cause of hearing loss in the elderly. With the development of cochlear implant technology, these devices have allowed regain of partial to full hearing function. Up to this time, the main direction in testing the proper function and settings of cochlear implantation has been in relation to speech recognition abilities. With improvement in implant hardware and processing strategies, there has been a growing interest in musical perception as a dimension that could improve greatly users' quality of life.
Test Assesses Music Discrimination in People with Cochlear Implants
A novel audiometry test has been developed in order to assess the capability of music discrimination in persons with cochlear implants. This standardized test, the Appreciation of Music in Cochlear Implantees (AMICI) test, is designed to measure the following abilities: discrimination of music versus noise; identification of musical instruments (from a closed set); identification of musical styles (from a closed set); and recognition of individual musical pieces (open set). This audiometric test broadly complements the current battery of hearing tests by assessing the unique modality of music appreciation.
Applications:
• Music appreciation testing for patients with cochlear implants -- can be used to optimize implant type and settings
• Pre-implant evaluation to optimize implant selection
• Diagnosis of presbycusis or other hearing dysfunction
• Diagnostic testing for the followup care and monitoring of hearing status
Advantages:
• Novel test that measures music appreciation as a modality -- no other test available
• Directly addresses a quality of life issue
• Standardized testing
Patent Status: Copyright
Licensing Status: Available for Licensing and Sponsored Research Support
Publications:
Spitzer, JB, Mancuso D, Chengt, MY. Development of a clinical test of musical perception: appreciation of music in cochlear implantees (AMICI). J Am Acad Audiol. 2008 Jan;19(1):56-81.
