Name
Abstract | ||
|---|---|---|
Infrared lasers are a novel method for providing neural stimulation. The laser causes an instantiable temperature rise because of optical absorption by water, and opens the heat-sensitive ion channel. Unlike electric stimulation, an infrared laser stimulates nerves without contacting the tissue. Our goal was to develop a novel auditory prosthesis by applying infrared laser stimulation in a hearing aid. This study investigated whether an infrared laser projected through the tympanic membrane could stimulate the cochlear nerves in the ear canal. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were studied. A pulsed infrared laser (0.5-12.8 mJ/cm
<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>
) and a clicking sound (10-90 dB pe. SPL) were presented to the subjects. The cochlear microphonics (CMs) and compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded when the clicking sound was presented, while trans-tympanic membrane laser stimulation induced only CAPs. In subsequent experiments, continuous pulsed laser irradiation for 60 minutes did not cause any observable damage on cochlear response and a tympanic membrane. Therefore, trans-tympanic membrane laser stimulation bypasses the need for hair cell depolarization and creates cochlear nerves responses directly, suggesting that a novel hearing aid using an infrared laser could compensate for sensorial hearing loss. |
Year | DOI | Venue |
|---|---|---|
2019 | 10.1109/LifeTech.2019.8884023 | 2019 IEEE 1st Global Conference on Life Sciences and Technologies (LifeTech) |
Keywords | Field | DocType |
Auditory prothesis,noninvasiveness,infrared laser,cochlear implant | Biomedical engineering,Cochlear nerve,Hearing aid,Far-infrared laser,Hair cell,Auditory system,Laser,Materials science,Stimulation,Fiber laser | Conference |
ISBN | Citations | PageRank |
978-1-7281-0544-4 | 1 | 0.63 |
References | Authors | |
2 | 4 | |
Name | Order | Citations | PageRank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuta Tamai | 1 | 1 | 0.96 |
| Kensuke Horinouchi | 2 | 1 | 0.63 |
| Shizuko Hiryu | 3 | 3 | 2.43 |
| Kohta I. Kobayasi | 4 | 1 | 0.96 |