• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2013

Electrical stimulation is delivered to auditory nerve (AN) through the electrodes in cochlear implant system. Neurogram is a spectrogram that includes information of neural response to electrical stimulation. We hypothesized that the similarity between a neurogram and an input-sound spectrogram could show how well a cochlear implant system works. In this study, we evaluated electrical stimulus configuration of CIS strategy using the computational model. The computational model includes stochastic property and anatomical features of cat auditory nerve fiber. To evaluate similarity between a neurogram and an input-sound spectrogram, we calculated Structural Similarity Index (SSIM). The results show that the dynamic range and the stimulation rate per channel influenced SSIM. Finally, we suggested the optimal configuration within the given stimulus CIS. We expect that the results and the evaluating procedure could be employed to improve the performance of a cochlear implant system.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.49 no.12
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• pp.249-255
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• 2012

A cochlear implant system uses charge-balanced biphasic pulses that are known to reduce tissue damage than monophasic pulses. In this study, we investigated effect of pulse pattern on neural responses using a computer model, based on the Hodgkin-Huxley equation. Electric pulse phase, pulse duration, and phase gap have been systematically varied to characterize auditory nerve responses. The results show that neural responses, dynamic range and threshold are represented as a function of stimulus patterns and duration. The results could greatly extend to develop more efficient cochlear implant stimulation.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.269-275
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• 2016

This study has investigated the feasibility of 980-nm low-energy pulsed near-infrared laser stimulation to evoke auditory responses, as well as the effects of radiant exposure and pulse duration on auditory responses. In the experiments, a hole was drilled in the basal turn of the cochlea in guinea pigs. An optical fiber with a 980-nm pulsed infrared laser was inserted into the hole, orientating the spiral ganglion cells in the cochlea. To model deafness, the tympanic membrane was mechanically damaged. Acoustically evoked compound action potentials (ACAPs) were recorded before and after deafness, and optically evoked compound action potentials (OCAPs) were recorded after deafness. Similar spatial selectivity between optical and acoustical stimulation was found. In addition, OCAP amplitudes increased with radiant exposure, indicating a photothermal mechanism induced by optical stimulation. Furthermore, at a fixed radiant exposure, OCAP amplitudes decreased as pulse duration increased, suggesting that optical stimulation might be governed by the time duration over which the energy is delivered. Thus, the current experiments have demonstrated that a 980-nm pulsed near-infrared laser with low energy can evoke auditory neural responses similar to those evoked by acoustical stimulation. This approach could be used to develop optical cochlear implants.