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Research

Here at University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service, we are very committed to research in order to ultimately benefit our patients. We are also involved in teaching Audiology BSc and MSc students, and often they undertake a cochlear implant research project as their dissertation. You may be asked if you would like to take part in a research project. This is entirely your choice, and will not affect your other appointments at USAIS at all. If you do take part, your expenses will usually be paid.

An exciting opportunity to join a patient-informed research group at USAIS

The Auditory Implant Service would like to work with patients and carers to improve our service and provide an opportunity for members to develop and contribute to research in the areas in which we work.  Patients and carers who are interested will join a group.  Members of the group, who would like to, will be able to take part in events and join a Microsoft Teams site to discuss areas of interest and read about research opportunities. Continue reading →

Electro-Haptic Stimulation: A New Approach for Improving Cochlear-Implant Listening

              Carl Verschuur and Mark Fletcher have written a paper about Electro-Haptic devices in their new paper "Electro-Haptic Stimulation: A New Approach for Improving Cochlear-Implant Listening." Haptic (or tactile) aids for the hearing-impaired, which turn sound into a sensation of touch on the skin, were rendered obsolete in the 1990s by the development and success of cochlear implants. Continue reading →

PhD Audiology Opportunity: Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, Hearing and Cognition 

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), a subtype of stroke, is a bleed on the surface of the brain.  It has a high fatality rate (approximately 50%) and for those who survive it is often a life altering event. There is increasing recognition that, although people with a history of SAH look outwardly healthy, they have substantial "hidden" disability which impairs their daily functioning. Continue reading →

Recording of electrode voltages on the surface of head to test for cochlear implant problems

At USAIS we have developed a new, easy-to-use test which measures how current flows from cochlear implants. The test uses electrodes which are placed on the head of the cochlear implant user. The test is able to accurately pick up when the current flow within the implant is not normal, such as when the device is not fully inside the cochlea.  The test also has the potential to show up other subtler problems with the device. Please see examples of test results below. Continue reading →