Georgetown University. US: People who use cochlear implants for profound hearing loss do respond
to certain aspects of music, contrary to common beliefs and limited
scientific research, says a research team headed by an investigator at Georgetown University Medical Center.
The scientists say exposure to the beat in music, such as drums, can
improve the emotional and social quality-of-life of cochlear implant
users and may even help improve their understanding and use of spoken
language.
“The cochlear implant is designed for language perception — which
works though with some flaws for the population studied — but not for
music perception. By using music that emphasizes a beat, we may be able
to improve both,” says the study’s lead investigator, Jessica
Phillips-Silver, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Georgetown University
Medical Center’s Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition led by Joseph P. Rauschecker, PhD.
The study, published online this month, will be in the March issue of Hearing Research.
Previous research has shown that cochlear implants, which bypass the
outer and inner ears to directly stimulate fibers of the auditory nerve,
are deficient in transmitting the pitch and tone quality of music;
users report hearing noise when music is played. Consequently, they may
receive little training in music or musical movement.
In this study, investigators sought to objectively measure if users
can synchronize body movement in time to music with a regular beat,
comparing their performance to that of hearing individuals.
“We wanted to see if cochlear implant users heard and felt the beat,
and if this tapped into sensory and motor areas in the brain,” says
Phillips-Silver.
They tested nine users of cochlear implants and nine hearing
participants, asking them to react to three different renditions of a
popular style of Latin dance music that has a heavy beat. Participants
wore a Nintendo Wii to measure body movement. (Click here to listen to a sample of the music from the study titled "Suavemente" by Elvis Crespo.)
The researchers found that both groups were able to move in time to
the beat when drum music was used, although synchronization was greater
in hearing participants. “The advantage of drum music to implant users
is likely reduction of the complexity of the music as well as absence of
pitch variation, which cannot be processed by the implants,”
Phillips-Silver says.
The study suggests that cochlear implant users can enjoy a myriad of
musical benefits if the composition significantly emphasizes the beat,
she says. “We know that music training engages some brain plasticity —
it refines the sense of rhythm, benefitting the perception of speech, so
that may help them understand spoken language. But also there is so
much enjoyment in music — a strong beat activates the joy of body
movement,” Phillips-Silver says. “What we hear is what we feel and what
we feel is what we hear.”
Phillips-Silver conducted the study at the International Laboratory
for Brain, Music and Sound Research in Montreal, where she was a
doctoral student. Other participating researchers were from the
University of Montreal and from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
The work was supported by grants from Fonds de Recherche en Santé du
Québec, the Academy of Finland, the Canada Institute of Health Research,
and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally
recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of
research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC’s
mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a
dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or
"care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of
Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally
ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a
comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the
Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the
majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and
Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.