Topic: optical cochlear implant

In cases of profound cochlear dysfunction, electrical cochlear implants (eCIs) offer partial restoration of hearing. Nevertheless, the auditory experience with eCIs remains imperfect due to the broad excitation of auditory nerve neurons by electrical signals that limits the perceptual channels available to users. Optogenetics offers a breakthrough by enabling the stimulation of the auditory nerve by an optical cochlear implant (oCI). Light, unlike electrical signals, can be precisely confined in space, resulting in reduced spread of excitation and improved frequency selectivity. However, optog

The optical cochlear implant (oCI) utilizes optogenetic stimulation of the spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the cochlea to improve hearing restoration. Preclinical data has shown that this may improve bionic hearing in CI users by targeting smaller areas of the cochlea compared to electrical stimulation.This study investigates the influence of the light emitter characteristics (one/two laser-coupled glass fibers) on the spread of excitation, through a combination of computer simulations and in-vivo multiunit recordings of inferior colliculus activity in Mongolian gerbils that postnatally rece