Effect of electrical pulse shape on AVCN unit responses to cochlear stimulation.
Electrical stimulation of the cochlea with a multiple-electrode array is best accomplished using pulsatile instead of continuous stimulation. The optimum shapes of electrical pulses for this purpose are still uncertain due to a lack of knowledge about their stimulation efficiency and requirements of the encoding strategy. We presented an extensive set of charge-balanced, rectangular pulse shapes to the guinea pig cochlea. Durations per phase for these constant-current pulses ranged from 20 microseconds to 900 microseconds with initially positive and initially negative polarities. Spike counts from single units in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus differed significantly for different pulse shapes, as did their initial latencies. Implications for stimulation efficiency and encoding strategies are discussed.
Wiler
J A
JA
Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109.
Clopton
B M
BM
Mikhail
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology*; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time