Bruna Mussoi, Au.D., Ph.D.

Meet the Researcher

Mussoi received both her Au.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Her 2025 Emerging Research Grant is generously funded by Mike Miles.

The Research

University of Tennessee

Auditory neuroplasticity following experience with cochlear implants

Cochlear implants provide several benefits to older adults, though the amount of benefit varies across people. The greatest improvements in speech understanding abilities usually happen within the first 6 months after implantation. It is generally accepted that these gains in performance are a result of neural changes in the auditory system, but while there is strong evidence of neural changes following cochlear implantation in children, there is limited evidence in adults with hearing loss in both ears. This study will examine how neural responses change as a function of the amount of cochlear implant use, when compared to longstanding hearing aid use. Listeners who are candidates for a cochlear implant (who either decide to pursue implantation or to keep wearing hearing aids) will be tested at several time points, from pre-implantation and up to 6 months after implantation. The results of this project will improve our understanding of the impact of cochlear implant use on neural responses in older adults, and their relationship with the ability to understand speech.

Long-term goal: The long-term goal is to better understand the mechanisms involved in differences in speech perception in older adults with cochlear implants. These studies will inform clinical practice, allowing us to objectively quantify individual benefit from cochlear implant use, and providing important information that can be used in counseling cochlear implant users. Lastly, as the population of older adults increases and as public health efforts focus on increasing access to cochlear implants, these findings are also expected to support advocacy for implantation in older adults.