An fNIRS dataset for multimodal speech comprehension in normal hearing individuals and cochlear implant users

Understanding cortical processing in cochlear implant (CI) users is crucial for improving speech rehabilitation outcomes. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides a non-invasive, implant-compatible method for assessing cortical activity during speech comprehension. This is a multimodal fNIRS dataset collected from 46 CI users and 26 normal hearing (NH) controls. Participants completed a clinically relevant speech comprehension task using the German Matrix Sentence Test (OLSA) under speech-in-quiet, speech-in-noise, audiovisual speech, and visual speech (i.e., lipreading) conditions. fNIRS recordings covered key cortical regions involved in speech processing, including the prefrontal, auditory, and visual cortices. In addition to fNIRS data, we provide detailed metadata, including patient history, hearing test results, behavioral measures, and spatially registered probe positions. The dataset represents a comprehensive fNIRS resource for investigating multimodal speech understanding in CI users.