Measures of the auditory nerve response to electrical stimulation

Summary

Cochlear Implants (CIs) have restored a sense of sound to more than 1 million deaf people worldwide. Yet, most CI users struggle to understand speech as soon as background noise is present. This is partly because crucial information is mixed and lost at the level of the auditory nerve, where the implant electrodes are located.

Precise measurements of the auditory nerve response to vowels/words and longer sentences would help to design stimulation methods that maximise the transmission of information. But such measurements are not there yet: current measures of the auditory nerve are obtained from the implant itself with very short sounds, to avoid electrical artefact issues, and measures of the response to the longer, continuous stimuli used clinically are typically cortical, obtained with electroencephalography.

Project aims

This project aims to investigate and develop novel approaches to measuring the auditory-nerve response to sustained electrical stimulation in CI users. The project will involve combining recent advances in stimulation, recording, and analysis methods. Computational modelling of the auditory nerve may also be employed to further optimize such techniques.

The project will involve running and designing testing sessions with CI users, both at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and at Addenbrookes, and working with researchers and clinicians at both sites. Some of the testing sessions will be done intra-operatively.

The project and area of research are inter-disciplinary, and various candidate profiles may be suited. This project has clear development opportunities for the candidate, whether planning to later pursue an academic, private-sector or clinical career.

Contact details

François Guérit - francois.guerit@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

Opportunities

This project is open to applicants who want to do a:

• PhD