Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Brain Reorganisation of the Central Auditory Cortex in Asymetrical Profound Deaf Patient With a Cochlear Implantation.

Cochlear implantation is the most efficient method to restore hearing in deaf patients. However, about 2/3 of patients have some residual hearing and these patients usually combine two types of auditory information (electrical and acoustical). It is important to know how the brain is processing during two distinct stimulations and how it is related to the auditory level of performance. Patients and controls will undergo a positron emission tomography scan brain imaging session during a simplified voice/non-voice discrimination task. For each tasks and brain imaging sessions, patients will be stimulated either with the non-implanted ear (acoustical stimulation), the cochlear implant (electrical stimulation) and using both modalities in a binaural condition.