Patent ID: 8892201

Claim:
A method for stimulating a cochlea of a recipient with a cochlear implant comprising a stimulating assembly implantable in the cochlea and having at least one agent delivery port and a plurality of electrical contacts, the method comprising: applying electrical stimulation signals to a first population of nerve cells in the cochlea via one or more of the plurality of electrical contacts; applying a pharmaceutical agent to a second population of nerve cells in the cochlea via the at least one delivery port to invoke pseudospontaneous activity in the second population of nerve cells such that the combination of the pseudospontaneous activity and spontaneous activity in the second population of nerve cells results in a total stochastic nerve activity which is greater that the spontaneous nerve activity and which is below the recipient's auditory threshold; and applying, concurrent with the application of the pharmaceutical agent, electrical stimulation signals to the second population of nerve cells via one or more of the plurality of electrical contacts.