Electrode deactivation reallocates frequencies and can harm rather than help

Evidence

For both cases it could be beneficial to deactivate electrodes, however when doing so frequency information is re-allocated to other electrodes making analysis bands broader and distorting frequency-to-electrode mapping. These effects are small for individual electrode deactivation but can be substantial for deactivation of multiple electrodes, potentially resulting in poorer precision of information transmission; a completely opposite effect to that intended. Some n-of-m (n channels with highest input amplitudes stimulated out of a possible m channels; e.g. ACE (8-of-22) or SPEAK) strategies may not benefit from deactivation of electrodes due to the simplification of the information delivery already inherent in the strategy. The findings from electrode deactivation studies are mixed. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2050

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies n-of-m strategy: n channels with highest amplitudes stimulated out of m possible channels.