Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
20/03/2013
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
Interface is flexible and can be placed closer to the cochlea, allowing the creation of a tone sharper
Team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, has developed a new type of interface between the cochlear implant and the brain can dramatically improve the sound quality of the new generation of implants.
The implant, which helps the deaf to perceive sound, reflected sound information into electrical signals that go directly to the brain, bypassing the cells that do not serve this function as they should, because they are damaged.
The process of normal hearing works through a perfectly timed chain reaction involving a number of parts. First, the sound travels through the outer ear canal, reaching the eardrum and causing it to vibrate. The activation causes vibration of the eardrum in the small bones of the middle ear, which in turn creates the movement of fluid in the inner ear or cochlea. This causes movements in tiny structures called hair cells that translate motion into electrical signals that travel to the brain via the auditory nerve.
Dysfunctional hair cells are the most common culprits in a type of hearing loss called sensorineural hearing loss, which causes communication breakdown between the ear and the brain. Sometimes, the hair cells do not work properly since birth, but severe trauma or an infection poorly healed can cause irreparable damage to these delicate structures too.
Cochlear implants
Traditional hearing aids that work by amplifying sound, have the presence of some functional hair cells. A cochlear implant, moreover, prevents hair cells completely. Rather than restore the function, it works by translating sound vibrations picked up by a microphone outside the ear into electrical signals. These signals are transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve, which interprets them as sound.
Cochlear implants are recommended only for individuals with severe sensorineural hearing loss and profound, ie those who are not able to hear sounds below 70 decibels.
The device consists of an external component that binds via a magnetic disk to an internal component, implanted under the skin behind the ear. The component detects external sounds and selectively amplifies speech. The internal component converts this information into electrical impulses that are sent over a bundle of electrodes placed through the cochlea.
New Interface
According to the project leader, Pamela Bhatti, setting the current electrode is a significant barrier to clear sound transmission in the current device. "In an intact ear, the hair cells are abundant, and are in contact with the nerves that transmit sound information to the brain. Implantation The challenge is to achieve an efficient coupling between the electrodes and the nerves," he explains.
Contemporary implants contain between 12 and 22 electrodes, each of which transmits a signal to a different tone. The idea is that the more electrodes, the clearer the message.
Based on this idea, Bhatti and his team developed a new thin electrode array that is up to three times more sensitive than traditional electrodes without increasing the size.
Unlike wire electrodes, the new array is also flexible, which means that can get closer to the inner wall of the cochlea. Researchers believe that this will create a better connection between the matrix and the nervous system, which leads to a clearer signal.
According to Bhatti, one of the greatest challenges is actually implanting the device into the cochlea spiral-shaped. "We could have created the best mother in the world, but it would not matter if the surgeon could not put it in the right place," says the researcher.
To combat this problem, the team devised a method of insertion that protects the matrix and serves as a guide for surgeons to ensure proper placement.
Before being approved for use in humans, it must go through rigorous tests to ensure it is safe and effective.
Source: R7
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.