How does a Cochlear Implant work?
In order to get sound to the hearing nerve, an electrode array is surgically implanted in the inner ear or cochlea. The electrode array takes the place of the damaged hair cells, and stimulates the hearing nerve fibers in the ear. The sound that is heard is no longer acoustical sound, but is electrical sound. In many cases, the cochlear implant provides improved understanding of speech and better overall hearing ability. A cochlear implant consists of an implanted electrode array and an external sound/speech processing unit. Sounds are picked up by a microphone and transmitted to the speech processor. The speech processor appearance is similar to a hearing aid or is a body unit (which is worn on a belt or in a pocket). The sounds are converted to electrical information, which is delivered through the skin via a magnetic transmitting coil to the electrode array. The electrodes send the sound information signals to the hearing nerve, which then relays it to the brain, where the sound is
A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many people to recognize warning signals, understand other sounds in the environment, and enjoy a conversation in person or by telephone. (NIDCD–www.nidcd.nih.
Who gets cochlear implants? How does someone receive a cochlear implant? What does the future hold for cochlear implants? Where can I get additional information? Cochlear Implant Timeline What Is a cochlear implant? A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin (see figure). An implant has the following parts: • A microphone, which picks up sound from the environment. • A speech processor, which selects and arranges sounds picked up by the microphone. • A transmitter and receiver/stimulator, which receive signals from the speech processor and convert them into electric impulses. • An electrode array, which is a group of electrodes that collects the impulses from the stimulator and sends them to different regions of the auditory nerve. • An im
A cochlear implant is a device that allows the deaf or extremely hard of hearing to hear again. About 100,000 people worldwide have these implants. A cochlear implant works by bypassing the eardrum and directly stimulating the cochlea, the spiral-shaped structure in our inner ear responsible for detecting sound. A small microphone implanted just above the ear connects to a speech processor, which filters speech from surrounding noise, which uses electromagnetic induction — the same phenomenon exploited by metal detectors and RFID tags — to send a signal to a receiver and stimulator located in the inner ear, which sends auditory signals directly to the brain. The total cost of a cochlear implant, including surgery and post-implantation therapy, runs between $45,000 and $55,000 US Dollars (USD), but can be as high as $80,000 USD for adults born deaf who require additional therapy to learn to process sounds. About 3,000 people have bilateral implants, that is, one in each ear, and this tr
Cochlear implants have external (outside) parts and internal (surgically implanted) parts. External Parts: The external parts include a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitter. The microphone looks like a behind-the-ear hearing aid. It picks up sounds – just like a hearing aid microphone does — and sends them to the speech processor . The speech processor may be housed, with the microphone, behind the ear or it may be a small “box” worn in a chest pocket. The speech processor is a computer that analyzes and digitizes the sound signals and sends them to a transmitter worn on the head just behind the ear. The transmitter sends the coded signals to an implanted receiver just under the skin. Internal parts: The internal (implanted) parts include a receiver and electrodes . The receiver is just under the skin behind the ear. The receiver takes the coded electrical signals from the transmitter and delivers them to the array of electrodes that have been surgically inserted in the c
