The Inferior Colliculus as a Site of Electrical Stimulation

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的几十年里，内耳电刺激使失聪的人有了非凡的听力和理解语言的能力。然而，由于缺乏听觉神经，一些患者无法通过耳内植入物得到帮助，听觉神经可能先天缺失，可能因创伤而受损，也可能因肿瘤而手术切除。在这些病人中，传递声音信息的唯一方法是直接刺激大脑。一个潜在的刺激部位是中脑的下丘（IC）。中耳区是听觉信息在皮层中呈现之前的主要汇聚区域。本研究将测量家兔内窥镜在电刺激下的生理和行为反应。这些刺激将包括已知动物可以辨别的语言线索。假设是基于IC神经元对听觉刺激的反应的电刺激模式，与用于人工耳蜗的刺激模式相比，将改善语音线索的生理和行为辨别。这些实验将测试通过刺激下丘来实现功能性听力的能力，下丘是大脑中听觉整合的主要中心。预期的健康益处包括帮助聋人和听力受损者的设备、软件和治疗的未来发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the last few decades, electrical stimulation of the inner ear has allowed a remarkable ability for deaf individuals to hear and understand speech. However, some patients cannot be helped by an implant placed in the ear due to the lack of auditory nerves, which can be either congenitally absent, damaged through trauma, or removed in surgery for tumors. In these patients, the only way to deliver acoustic information is through direct brain stimulation. A potential site for stimulation is the inferior colliculus (IC) in the midbrain. The IC is major site for the convergence of auditory information prior to its representation in the cortex. The current study will measure the physiological and behavioral responses to electrical stimulation of the IC in rabbits. The stimuli will include speech cues known to be discriminable by animals. The hypothesis is that patterns of electrical stimulation based on the responses of IC neurons to auditory stimuli will improve the physiological and behavioral discrimination of the speech cues compared to stimulation patterns used for cochlear implants. The experiments will test the ability to achieve functional hearing by stimulation of the inferior colliculus, a major center for auditory integration in the brain. The expected health benefits include future development of devices, software and treatments that assist the deaf and hearing impaired.