PhD Dissertation Defense: Niyazi Arslan
- Alperen Akbulut
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
Audiologist Niyazi Arslan Has Graduated from the PhD Program in Speech and Hearing Science at Arizona State University!
Audiologist Niyazi Arslan, advised by Xin Luo, has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Exploring the Influence of Neural Health on the Efficacy of Electrical Field Shaping Techniques in Cochlear Implant Recipients” (details below) and has earned the title of "Doctor" (PhD).
His dissertation defense committee included:
Xin Luo
William Yost
David Landsberger
We congratulate our colleague, Niyazi Arslan, and wish him continued success and contributions to the field of audiology and the world of science.
Thesis Abstract: Cochlear implants (CIs) restore hearing sensation in individuals with moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. However, CI recipients exhibit poor pitch sensitivity, which adversely affects their performance in complex listening tasks such as speech recognition in noise and music appreciation. This dissertation investigated how neural health and stimulation configurations influence CI users’ pitch sensitivity, with the aim of predicting and enhancing the perception of critical spectral and temporal cues with CIs.
Through a series of experimental studies, this work systematically evaluated the utility of various neural health estimates in explaining variability in CI users’ pitch sensitivity, both with conventional monopolar stimulation and with novel stimulation configurations such as asymmetric pulse shapes and current focusing. The findings demonstrated that anodic-centered triphasic pulses show clear potential to improve place-pitch sensitivity compared to conventional methods. However, it was highlighted that there is pervasive variability in CI users' pitch sensitivity with different stimulation configurations, and that current indirect neural health estimates are limited in reliably predicting these outcomes. Therefore, a better understanding and more robust assessments of the underlying factors contributing to variability in perception are greatly needed for customized CI programming to optimize individual hearing outcomes.
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