title: Effect of Fiberoptic Collimation Technique on 808 nm Wavelength Laser Stimulation of Cochlear Neurons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of fiberoptic collimation technique on auditory neural stimulation in the cochlea with 808 nm wavelength lasers.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Recently, the pulsed near-infrared lasers in the 800-1000 nm wavelength range have been investigated as an emerging technique to trigger auditory neural response in the cochlea. A laser beam divergence in the optical stimulation pathway exists, which may affect stimulation efficiency and spatial selectivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The fiberoptic collimation technique was proposed for cochlear neuron stimulation, and the C-lens element was designed as the collimation structure. The spiral ganglion cells in deafened guinea pigs' cochlea were irradiated with collimated and uncollimated near-infrared lasers. Optically evoked auditory brainstem response (OABR) under the two laser output modes were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Laser with the collimation technique evoked an average 58% higher OABR amplitude than the uncollimated laser output. In addition, the collimated laser setup consumed on average 35.2% of laser energy compared with the uncollimated laser when evoking the same OABR amplitude.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The fiberoptic collimation technique improved stimulation efficiency and reduced stimulating energy consumption in near-infrared neural stimulation in cochlea. The positive effects of laser collimation technique could benefit further research in optically based cochlear implants.
authors.affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, Shandong, China .
authors.forename: Jingxuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, Shandong, China .
authors.forename: Jianren
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, Shandong, China .
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007834:Lasers; D009474:Neurons / Q000528:radiation effects*