Research
The strategic vision for the Viani Research Centre is to lead hearing research in Ireland by being the country’s dedicated hearing research institute. It is our objective to incubate scientific discoveries and engineering approaches and to address fundamental research into the neuroscience of hearing, development of interventions and education and also address the next generation of life-long implantable cochlear implants and devices.
Mission Statement
"The Viani Research Centre strives to conduct high quality basic and translational research on hearing, hearing loss and auditory implants, and to improve quality of life and educational outcomes of people with hearing loss."
Research Fields
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Surgical Techniques
As technology advances, surgical techniques are also adapting to embrace new dev-elopments, such as electrode design. Our surgical and medical team are continuously innovating surgical approaches and have an important role in making recommendations to manufacturers on matters of design, safety and candidacy.
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Binaural Hearing with Bilateral Cochlear Implants
Since 2014, children with profound hearing loss receive bilateral implantation in Ireland. Bilateral implantation in children with hearing loss promotes spatial awareness by providing access to sound in both ears. We are assessing how he brain adapts to two implants, whether they were received at the same time or some years apart.
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Educational Outcomes
The majority of children with cochlear implants attend mainstream primary and secondary schools and progress to third level education and employment. We are continuously auditing the educational outcomes of our implanted children and making recommendations to schools and to the government on additional supporting is required.
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Cognition and Aging
Aging has an impact on brain function and cognition and at the NHIVRC we are interested in learning how we can optimise cochlear implant settings to ensure optimal cognitive performance and easier listening.
Publications
2020
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Sequential Bilateral Implantation in Older Children: Inter Implant Map Differences and their Effects on Functional Outcomes.
Simões-Franklin C, Flood I, Sechler S, Lopes-Valdes A, Thapa J, Glynn F, Walshe P, Reilly RB and Viani L
Clinical Otolaryngol 2020 Jul;45(4):459-465.
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Impact of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) in Ireland on Cochlear Implanted Children.
Gabriel MM, Geyer L, McHugh C, Simoes-Franklin C, Thapa J, Glynn F, Walshe P, Viani L.
Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2020 Jun;133:109975. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.109975
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Balance, Gait and Dizziness in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Cross Sectional Study.
Murray D, Viani L, Garvan J, Murphy A, Vance R, Simões-Franklin C, Smith J, Meldrum D.
Cochlear Implants Int, 21 (1), 46-52, Jan 2020
2019
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The Impact of Repetitive Hyperbaric Exposure during SCUBA Diving on Cochlear Implants.
Hintze JM, Simões-Franklin C, Geyer L, Fitzgerald CW, Glynn F, Viani L, Walshe P.
Laryngoscope. 129(12), 2760-2764, 2019.
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Cochlear implant artefact reduction in electroencephalography data obtained with the auditory oddball paradigm and stimuli with differing envelopes
Waechter S, Simões-Franklin C, Smith J, Viani L, Reilly RB.
9th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering (NER), San Francisco, CA, USA, pp. 203-206, 2019.
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Revision Cochlear Implantation: The Irish Experience.
Wijaya C, Simões-Franklin C, Glynn F, Walshe P, Reilly R, Viani L.
Cochlear Implants International. Cochlear Implants Int, 20 (6), 281-287, 2019.
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Cochlear Implantation in the Presence of Superficial Siderosis.
Alshehabi M, Walshe P, Viani L.
Clinical Otolaryngology, 44 (6), 1166-1169, 2019.
2018
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Depth matters - The mismatch waveform as an objective measure of amplitude modulation detection.
Waechter SM, Lopez Valdes A, Simoes-Franklin C, Viani L, Reilly R.
Hear Res 359:13-22. 2018
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Quality of Life Outcomes in Cochlear Implantation of Children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disability.
Speaker RB, Simoes-Franklin C, Robertson J, Glynn F, Walshe P, Viani L.
Cochlear Implants International, 19 (3), 162-166, 2018.
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The usefulness integrity testing in children: A single institution experience of 86 tests over a period of 20 years.
Walshe P, Thapa J, Ramli RR, Glynn F, Simoes-Franklin C, Reilly RB, Viani L.
Clin Otolaryngol. 43(3), 159-163, 2018.
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Occurrence of major complications after cochlear implant surgery in Ireland.
Petersen H, Walshe P, Glynn F, McMahon R, Fitzgerald C, Thapa J, Simoes-Franklin C, Viani L.
Cochlear implants International, 29 August 2018.
2017
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Virtual Reality Sound Localization Testing in Cochlear Implant Users.
Sechler SD, Lopez Valdes A, Waechter SM, Simoes-Franklin C, Viani L, Reilly RB.
Proceedings 8th International IEEE EMBS Neural Engineering Conference. 8th International IEEE EMBS Neural Engineering Conference 2017.
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Guidelines for Speech and Language Therapists Working with Deaf Children in Ireland.
Cunningham D, Ferguson O, Hussey A, McClay S, Robertson J.
Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists. 2017.
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Objective assessment of spectral ripple discrimination in cochlear implant listeners using cortical evoked responses to an oddball paradigm.
Lopez Valdes A, Mc Laughlin M, Viani L, Walshe P, Smith J, Zeng FG, Reilly RB.
PLoS One. 2014 Mar 5;9(3):e90044.
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Auditory mismatch negativity in cochlear implant users: a window to spectral discrimination.
Lopez-Valdes A, Mc Laughlin M, Viani L, Walshe P, Smith J, Zeng FG, Reilly RB.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2013;2013:3555-8. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610310. PMID: 24110497.
Collaborators
At the NHIVRC we are focused on Improving quality of life by facilitating hearing and communication.
Get Involved
There are always exciting research projects happening at the Viani Research Centre. If you would like to be contacted with details on our ongoing research, please contact us on ciresearch@beaumont.ie