The IBM SP has made possible a dramatic improvement in our ability to simulate this complex biological process.
Cochlear implants are devices which restore some degree of hearing to the deaf.
They are surgically implanted in the inner ear and function by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve, bypassing the hair cells usually absent or damaged in those with hearing loss. There is tremendous variability in performance with a cochlear implant, with many recipients able to converse on the telephone, but others still having substantial difficulty communicating without lip reading. Our laboratory is attempting to understand the biophysical and neurophysiologic factors that determine performance with a cochlear implant and by so doing, improve this performance. Using electrophysiologic recordings from the auditory nerve of guinea pigs, cats, and humans, we are learning how auditory neurons respond to temporally patterned electrical stimuli. We have also developed a detailed biophysical model of the responses of large populations of auditory neurons to such stimulation.