Definition
A cochlear implant is an implanted electronic device to activate the auditory nerve and restore hearing sensations to people who have lost their hearing. Modern cochlear implants consist of an implanted part and a part that is worn externally. The external part contains a microphone to pick up sound, a microprocessor to convert acoustic sound into electric signals, and a transmitter coil to send the information across the skin to the implanted part. The implanted part contains a receiving antenna, a microprocessor to decode the transmitted signal, a current-controlled stimulator, and an array of electrodes inserted into the inner ear. Electric pulses delivered to the inner ear activate any remaining auditory neurons and initiate neural pulses to the brain, resulting in the sensation of sound and the ability to understand speech.
References
Eisen MD (2003) Djourno, Eyries, and the first implanted electrical neural stimulator to restore hearing. Otol Neurotol 24:500–506
House WF, Urban J (1973) Long term results of electrode implantation and electronic stimulation of the cochlea in man. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 82(4):504–517
Further Reading
Shannon RV, Zeng FG, Kamath V, Wygonski J, Ekelid M (1995) Speech recognition with primarily temporal cues. Science 270:303
Zeng FG, Popper AN, Fay RR (eds) (2012) Auditory prostheses: new horizons, vol 39, Springer handbook of auditory research. Springer, New York, 389 pp
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Shannon, R.V. (2014). Peripheral Nerve Interface Applications, Cochlear Implants. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_198-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_198-1
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