Cochlear implants: the view from the brain.
The cochlear implant arguably is the most successful neural prosthesis. Studies of the responses of the central auditory system to prosthetic electrical stimulation of the cochlea are revealing the success with which electrical stimulation of a deaf ear can mimic acoustic stimulation of a normal-hearing ear. Understanding of the physiology of central auditory structures can lead to improved restoration of hearing with cochlear implants. In turn, the cochlear implant can be exploited as an experimental tool for examining central hearing mechanisms isolated from the effects of cochlear mechanics and transduction.
Middlebrooks
John C
JC
Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1301 East Ann Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0506, USA. jmidd@umich.edu
Bierer
Julie Arenberg
JA
Snyder
Russell L
RL
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*