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How does a Cochlear Implant work?
A cochlear implant works by stimulating the auditory nerves of a seriously deaf patient.
It is different from the commercially available hearing aid.
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The hearing aid amplifies sound adaptable to different volumes and situations. The cochlear implant helps by working to activate the acoustic sensory nerves present in the inner ear so that they can send messages to the brain to help the patient communicate.
Thus the cochlear implant compensates for the damaged or non working parts of the ear. Cochlear implants available today work to help full communication in person and over the phone.
Cochlear implants work for patients who may have normal outer and inner ear functions but total or near total malfunction of the inner ear. When a patient chooses to use a bionic ear or cochlear implant, a device with electrodes usually 24 in number is surgically implanted into the inner ear.
It is connected to an external hearing assistive device fitted behind the ear which contains an impulse converter mechanism. The microphone in the external device picks up sounds, the sounds are converted into electric signals that are sent to the speech processor also contained in the external device.
The speech processor changes the signals into pulses using a process called coding. These pulses are sent to a coil which converts them into FM radio waves.
The radio waves are sent across the skin to the implanted device. The implant then stimulates the attached electrodes.
The electrodes activate the auditory nerves present in the cochlea which send sound recognizer pulses to the brain. The cochlear implant generated sound is different from the sound recognized by a normal hearer.
Nevertheless cochlear implants work to restore full communication and have helped many patients regain the nerve to converse in public and over the telephone.
Informative video describing technical side of Cochlear Implants:
Learn More: Who gets a Cochlear Implant?
