HIGH DENSITY COCHLEAR ELECTRODE ARRAYS

高密度耳蜗电极阵列

• 批准号: 6277551
• 负责人: FRANCIS A SPELMAN
• 金额: $ 7.23万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-05-01 至 1999-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6277551
• 关键词: Mammalia; Primates; bioengineering /biomedical engineering; ear; hearing

The purpose of this work is to develop electrode arrays which improve substantially the performance of artificial ears for the deaf. The electrode arrays are placed within the inner ear near the cells of the auditory nerve and are driven with minute electric currents to excite those cells in response to external sound signals. The electrode arrays being developed in our laboratory offer two advantages over arrays currently in use. First, the design of the new arrays will provide at least 60 electrodes whereas today's electrode arrays have only 22 internal electrodes at most. Second, the shape memory materials used in our lab bring the electrodes in proximity to the nerve cells, whereas electrodes in current arrays lie several tenths of a millimeter distant from the nerve cells. During the past year, we placed a test array in the inner ear of a macaque monkey and obtained preliminary results on the behavior of the array. The array was stable during the time of implantation, but the external connector failed to integrate well with the skull of the monkey. We have revised the array and have implanted new connector bases in the skulls of three monkeys. We are experimenting with several fabrication techniques varying the insulation on individual wires, techniques of cleaning electrode sites and electroplating to either increase surface area or provide surfaces that can carry larger excitation currents for a given surface area. Through other funding, we are studying the effects of fibrous capsules on the electrode arrays, and trying to develop techniques to eliminate the capsules. We have begun a series of neurophysiological experiments, which are being done outside of the Primate Center on species other than macaques. These are acute studies that are designed to determine the minimum distance between electrodes to permit independent excitation of small groups of nerve cells.

这项工作的目的是开发电极阵列 大大改善聋人人造耳朵的性能。 电极阵列放置在靠近细胞的内耳中 听觉神经，并用微小电流驱动到 响应外部声音信号激发这些单元。 这 我们实验室开发的电极阵列提供了两个 优于当前使用的阵列。 首先，新的设计 阵列将至少提供60个电极，而今天的电极 阵列最多只有22个内部电极。 第二，形状 我们实验室中使用的记忆材料将电极与 神经细胞，而电流阵列中的电极则为几个 十分之一毫米远离神经细胞。 在过去 一年，我们将测试阵列放在猕猴的内耳中 获得了阵列行为的初步结果。 数组 在植入期间稳定，但是外部连接器 无法与猴子的头骨很好地整合。 我们有 修改了数组，并将新连接器底座植入了头骨 三只猴子。 我们正在尝试一些制造 在各个电线上改变绝缘的技术， 清洁电极位点和电镀以增加表面 区域或提供可以携带更大激发电流的表面 给定的表面积。 通过其他资金，我们正在研究 纤维胶囊对电极阵列的影响，并试图尝试 开发技术以消除胶囊。 我们已经开始了系列 神经生理实验的 猕猴以外的其他物种中心。 这些是敏锐的 旨在确定最小距离的研究 电极允许小组神经独立激发 细胞。