The implant recipients activations were larger and more diffuse but did not differ greatly from those described previously in normal hearing. This study provides a good comparison of hearing using bilateral cochlear implants to that of normal unaided hearing. This study provides a more realistic comparison of cortical activations due to hearing in cochlear implantees and normal hearing subjects. This is in contrast to other studies involving monaural stimulation of a unilateral cochlear implant to monaural stimulation of normal hearing subject with the contralateral normal hearing ear blocked off. Investigators are only aware of one additional study where subjects with bilateral cochlear implants have been compared to normal hearing controls.