What is a cochlear implant?COCHLEAR IMPLANTS
Just what is the history of cochlear implant? Interested, click below
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What is a cochlear implant?
A cochlear implant is a small, electronic device surgically added to the ear for hearing purposes. The basic parts to a CI include the microphone, processor, transmitter (which converts the collected sound waves into electric impulses), and electrodes. The microphone, processor, and transmitter are placed subcutaneously into the skull, behind the ear. The electrodes, which send the impulses to the brain, are placed within the temporal lobe. Most CIs are attached to as many as 24 electrodes. These then need to be activated after surgery to start the appreciation of sound.
Most people who decide to undergo surgery for CIs are those with profound hearing impairments. The process under which a CI operates is similar to that of a working inner ear. Under normal circumstances, sounds waves picked up by the ear are sent to the brain in the form of electric impulses where they are perceived as sound. CIs perform the same task and send the electrical signals past the nonworking cochlear hair cells to the brain.
This is what is implanted into the skull
This is what is worn on the ear on the outside
This picture shows the voice processor that encodes the sound
Who gets cochlear implants?
Cochlear implants can be beneficial to both adults and children. Adults and children who have had prior hearing abilities, and who still recognize sounds have a higher chance of success with CIs than those who have suffered from a loss for many years.
A possible reason for that may be related to the degeneration of the central auditory pathway due to a lack of stimulation. Also, adults who have no prior conception of sounds have shown difficulties in processing the new stimuli.
Most children who receive implants are between the ages of 2 and 6, but not limited to those ages. Children who receive implants at an early age reproduce tones and rhythm more accurately. They also have fewer negative effects of auditory deprivation. Children are more adaptable than adults. With training and therapy, they have had more success with the CIs.