Towards closed-loop cochlear implants: interfacing hearing prostheses with the brain

A cochlear implant is a technology that restores hearing in persons with deafness or severe hearing loss. This system consists of two parts. The internal part is implanted during surgery and contains electrodes that stimulate the auditory nerve. The external part is worn behind the ear and contains a sound processor, that transforms the audio signal from the microphone into electrical pulses that are sent to the electrodes. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a measurement of the electric activity from the brain. EEG is obtained by placing metal electrodes on the head, usually in the clinic. Much research is being done to measure brain responses to sound in cochlear implant users, in order to better understand their hearing capabilities. The advantage of EEG is that no participation from the patient is required and that certain areas of the brain can be targeted directly. A big disadvantage is that the patient needs to come to the clinic and sit still for a relatively long measurement. In this research, we will investigate whether EEG can be measured directly from implanted electrodes. Such functionality could then be added to the sound processor, and with such a system, EEG can be recorded quickly and efficiently in the clinic without any extra equipment, and could even be recorded at the patient's home for remote fitting purposes. It also allows to unobtrusively and chronically monitor the patient.

Publication year:2020

Accessibility:Open