title: Early UCSF contributions to the development of multiple-channel cochlear implants.
abstract: The early contributions of the UCSF cochlear implant (CI) research team to the development of multiple-channel cochlear implants from about 1971 through the mid-1980s are briefly summarized. Scientists at UCSF conducted fundamental studies related to device safety, the control of patterned electrical stimulation, and the designs of intracochlear electrode arrays, coders, and implanted multiple-channel electrode drivers. They conducted many original studies documenting parameters of hearing with cochlear implants relevant to next-generation CI designs. On these bases, the UCSF team constructed early models of multichannel devices that were progenitors of the Advanced Bionics' Clarion CI. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled <Lasker Award>.
authors.affiliation: University of California at San Francisco, CSO, Posit Science Corporation, 77 Geary Street, Suite 303, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA. Electronic address: michael.merzenich@positscience.com.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Merzenich
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D002140:California; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000266:history*; D032882:Comprehension; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception