Cochlear Implants
What is a cochlear implant?
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.
The cochlar implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. This assists auditory function to activate more easily. These implants are seemlessly applied, and actually quite simple in structure. An implant has the following parts:
A microphone, which picks up sound from the environment.
A speech processor, which selects and arranges sounds picked up by the microphone.
A transmitter and receiver/stimulator, which receive signals from the speech processor and convert them into electric impulses.
A group of electrodes collect the impulses from the stimulator and sends them to different regions of the auditory nerve.
An implant does not restore normal hearing. Often, it’s expected that the implant will act as a sort of replacement of hearing function. Perhaps returning to an original state of functionality that was lost in an accident or over time.
Instead, it can give a deaf person a useful representation of sounds in the environment and help him or her to understand speech. This acts as a communication medium improving quality of life, which activates several long-term benefits.
The benefits of using a cochlear implant?
You may be able to hear normal speech at a nearly usual hearing level.
You can potentially use the phone and hear the other person speaking.
Hear music being played.
Better control the sound of your own voice.
Assess conversation situations more aptly in social settings, giving you a leg up on previously difficult speech.
How does a cochlear implant work?
Who gets cochlear implants?
Adults who have lost all or most of their hearing later in life often can benefit from cochlear implants. They learn to associate the signal provided by an implant with sounds they remember. This often provides recipients with the ability to understand speech solely by listening through the implant, without requiring any visual cues such as those provided by lip-reading or sign language.
Cochlear implants, coupled with intensive post implantation therapy, can help young children to acquire speech, language, and social skills. Most children who receive implants are between two and six years old. Early implantation provides exposure to sounds that can be helpful during the critical period when children learn speech and language skills. In 2000, the FDA lowered the age of eligibility to 12 months for one type of cochlear implant.
How does someone receive a cochlear implant?
Some individuals may choose not to have a cochlear implant for a variety of personal reasons. Surgical implantations are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of surgery. An additional consideration is learning to interpret the sounds created by an implant. This process takes time and practice. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are frequently involved in this learning process. Prior to implantation, all of these factors need to be considered.
What does the future hold for cochlear implants?
NIDCD is supporting research to improve upon the benefits provided by cochlear implants. It may be possible to use a shortened electrode array, inserted into a portion of the cochlea, for individuals whose hearing loss is limited to the higher frequencies. Other studies are exploring ways to make a cochlear implant convey the sounds of speech more clearly. Researchers also are looking at the potential benefits of pairing a cochlear implant in one ear with either another cochlear implant or a hearing aid in the other ear.