Investigating the effect of cochlear implant usage metrics on cortical auditory-evoked potential responses in adult recipients post-implantation.

Introduction: This study examines the effect of cochlear implant (CI) device usage metrics on post-operative outcomes in unilateral CI recipients. The primary objective is to investigate the relationship between CI usage frequency (average daily CI use) and duration (total years of CI use) on electrically evoked cortical auditory-evoked potential (eCAEP) response peak latency (ms) and amplitude (μV). Methods: Adult CI users ( Results: Overall, 27 participants (65.85%) exhibited detectable eCAEP responses across one or more electrode contacts. Among these, 18 participants (43.9%) elicited eCAEP responses at all three electrode contacts, while 7 (17.07%) showed responses at two contacts, and 2 (4.88%) at one contact. For the remaining 14 participants (34.15%), eCAEP responses were either absent or undetectable. CI usage frequency (average daily CI use [hours/day]) was captured for 32 (78%) of the participants (median 10.35 h/day, range 0.2-16 h/day). Participants with present eCAEP responses for the basal electrode ( Discussion: Additionally, most (65.85%) participants who previously exhibited absent acoustic CAEP responses developed eCAEP responses after consistent CI use and increased CI experience. These findings may suggest a potential for cortical plasticity and adaptation with consistent CI use over time. Recognizing the impact of device usage metrics on neural responses post-implantation enhances our understanding of the importance of consistent daily CI use. Overall, these findings contribute to addressing the variability among CI users, improving post-operative outcomes and advancing the standard of personalized care in auditory rehabilitation.