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Cochlear
Implants
What
Is a Cochlear Implant and How Does it Work?
download the pdf
 Cochlear
implants are implantible devices designed with the goal
of providing sound detection and speech recognition for
people who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids.
There are several manufacturers of cochlear implants such
as Advanced Bionics Corporation, Cochlear Americas, and
Med-El. The cochlear implant-regardless of the manufacturer-is
comprised of both internal and external components.
The internal portion, which is implanted
surgically, has a receiver and tiny electrodes. The receiver
is imbedded under the skin behind the ear and the electrodes
are surgically inserted into the cochlea.
The external portion, shown in the
picture below includes a speech processor that is connected
to a headpiece by a cord. The headpiece has a transmitting
coil that sends the signal from the speech processor to
the internal part of the cochlear implant. It magnetically attaches
to the surface of the head behind the ear at the spot where
the internal portion of the implant is located.
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Platinum
Series
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Auria
Processor
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Sprint
Processor
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Esprit
Processor
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There
are additional speech processors and configuration
options available other than those shown above
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The internal and external portions
work together to change sound into electrical signals that
are sent to the hearing nerve. First, the microphone picks
up the sound energy, and transmits the signal through the
cord to the speech processor. The speech processor filters,
analyzes and converts the sound energy into a digital code
that is then sent back through the cord to the headpiece
where it is transmitted across the skin, via radio frequencies,
to the internal receiver. Then, the internal receiver delivers
the signal to the electrodes that have been placed inside
the cochlea. The electrodes bypass the damaged parts of
the cochlea and send a tiny electrical charge directly to
the auditory nerve. Finally, the auditory nerve carries
these electrical signals to the brain where they are interpreted
as sound. This process occurs so rapidly that the listener
will hear speech and other sounds without any noticeable
delay.
To see a demonstration of this process,
please click here: 
For more information about specific
manufacturers please visit the following websites:
Advanced Bionics Corporation - www.cochlearimplant.com
Cochlear Americas - www.cochlear.com
MED-El - www.medel.com
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