PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF ELECTRIC STIMULATION

麻醉猫的听神经纤维活动将被记录下来。 响应于通过耳壳内电极施加的电刺激 与人类使用的类似。这样的基本生理信息是 在改进的多通道设计中可能具有实际用途 人工耳蜗术。第一系列实验将检验预测 有髓神经细胞外刺激的生物物理模型 在项目4中开发的纤维。这些实验将提供非常 基本信息对于理解刺激不仅重要 听神经纤维，但一般是有髓神经元。一秒钟 一系列实验将研究非同时电极相互作用 当电流脉冲以快速顺序通过 相同或不同的电极。这些相互作用，证明了 遮盖和敏化，很可能在 RTI开发的连续交错采样语音处理器。 这些实验的结果将与心理物理和 项目1和项目3中相互作用的诱发电位测量。 一系列实验将检验放电的时间模式。 类复杂电刺激在听神经纤维中的诱发 那些由现有设备的语音处理器产生的语音。在……里面 特别是，由连续模拟刺激产生的神经活动 如在Ineraid装置中会与不同的生产装置进行比较 连续交错采样处理器。这些产品的特点 处理器将与新工艺的研究并行操作 项目1中的方案。这些实验专门针对 语音处理器设计的改进。

The activity of auditory-nerve fibers will be recorded in anesthetized cats in response to electric stimuli applied through intracochlear electrodes similar to those used in humans. Such basic physiological information is likely to be of practical use in designing improved multiple-channel cochlear prostheses. A first series of experiments will test predictions of biophysical model of extracellular stimulation of myelinated nerve fibers developed in Project 4. These experiments will provide very fundamental information important for understanding stimulation not only of auditory-nerve fibers, but of myelinated neurons in general. A second series of experiments will study the nonsimultaneous electrode interactions which occur when current pulses are applied in rapid sequence through the same or different electrodes. These interactions, which demonstrate both masking and sensitization, are likely to play an important role in the continuous interleaved sampling speech processors developed at RTI. Results of these experiments will be compared with psychophysical and evoked-potential measurements of interactions in Projects 1 and 3. A third series of experiments will examine the temporal patterns of discharge elicited in auditory-nerve fibers by complex electric stimuli resembling those produced by the speech processors of existing devices. In particular, the neural activity produced by continuous-analog stimulation as in the Ineraid device will be compared with that produced with different continuous interleaved sampling processors. Characteristics of these processors will be manipulated in parallel with the study of new processing schemes in Project 1. These experiments are specifically directed towards improvements in speech-processor design.