Neuro-behavioural signatures of subjective versus objective listening success after cochlear implantation (COMPANION)

• Applicants: Privatdozentin Dr. Anke Leichtle; Professor Dr. Jonas Obleser; Dr. Malte Wöstmann
• Subject Area: Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience ; Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience ; Otolaryngology, Phoniatrics and Audiology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 566595267

Cochlear implants (CIs) have revolutionized the treatment of profound hearing loss, enabling individuals to regain access to spoken language. However, the relationship between subjective listening experiences and objective hearing performance in CI users remains poorly understood. While objective measures such as speech recognition scores improve post-implantation, subjective self-assessments often diverge, reflecting a complex interplay of perceptual, cognitive, and neural factors. This discrepancy poses a significant challenge for optimising patient outcomes and personalising rehabilitation strategies. With the proposed project, COMPANION (COchlear iMPlANt subjectIve Objective listeniNg), we aim to systematically investigate the neuro-behavioural signatures of subjective versus objective listening success over the first six months after CI activation. Using a longitudinal, multimodal approach, we will assess CI users across three tightly integrated work packages (WPs). WP1 will empirically establish the function linking subjective and objective listening by tracking behavioural outcomes in a digit-triplet test at multiple time points before and after implantation. WP2 will explore the neural basis of this relationship using electroencephalography (EEG) to examine low-frequency neural tracking (reflecting objective performance) and alpha power modulation (associated with subjective evaluation and listening effort). WP3 will test the potential of a structured patient education intervention to recalibrate subjective and objective listening, fostering better self-awareness and improving clinical outcomes. Our project builds on our preliminary findings demonstrating the divergence and temporal dynamics of subjective and objective listening in CI users. Early after implantation, subjective evaluations tend to lag behind objective improvements, but this relationship often reverses over time. Neural data suggest that alpha oscillations and speech tracking in the EEG can serve as biomarkers for this recalibration process, offering a window into the neural underpinnings of “meta-listening.” We will recruit 30 unilateral CI users and a matched control group of 30 normal-hearing participants, enabling robust comparisons across groups and conditions. The translational impact of this research lies in its potential to refine diagnostic and rehabilitative strategies for CI users. By linking subjective experiences with objective metrics, this research aims to provide critical insights into the broader cognitive and neural processes underlying human auditory perception and adaptation to sensory devices.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Karl-Ludwig Bruchhage