*Study Limitations*

A major limitation of our study is the short post-implantation interval. We observed verbal fluency only 3 months after implantation whereas most studies analyse cognition 1 year after implantation. Indeed, activation of the auditory associative cortex continues to increase even years after cochlear implantation for stimuli containing speech [32]. Another limitation of this study is the calibration used. The Cardebat fluencies are calibrated for age, gender and education level. The age norms range from 30 to 85 years. However, in this study, participants under 30 and over 85 years of age were included. The calibration used for these participants was the one closest in age respecting gender and education.
