Background stimulation for fitting cochlear implants

A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium having instructions thereon for fitting an implanted patient and a hearing implant system having an implanted electrode array with a plurality of electrode contacts, the instructions comprising:

• iteratively fitting a plurality of fitting electrode contacts by, for each of the fitting electrode contacts:
• i. delivering fitting stimulation signals to the fitting electrode contact and at least one neighboring electrode contact to stimulate adjacent auditory neural tissue, wherein the fitting stimulation signals are characterized by a charge level distribution function having a non-zero noise level charge at the at least one neighboring electrode contact and a response level charge much greater than the noise level charge at the fitting electrode contact, and
• ii. obtaining patient responses from the implanted patient to the fitting stimulation signals;
• and
• defining a patient-specific fit map for the electrode contacts of cochlear implant electrode array based on the patient responses.