A new design methodology is proposed to realize a real cochlea using the multiplexing switched-capacitor circuits. The proposed technique is based upon the transmission-line model proposed by Zwislocki (1950). At the cost of the increase in the number of clock phases, the decay rate in the transition region of the filter section can be increased by adding only a few components. Therefore, the c...

Hypothesis: The fact that the anatomy of the basal turn of the human cochlea, especially, is essentially different from that of other species is likely to influence the outcome of cochlear implantation. Background: Multichannel cochlear implants give better speech understanding than single-channel devices. They are intended to make use of the tonotopic organization of the cochlea by selectively...

Nitric oxide (NO) influences electrophysiological and morphological parameters of the mammalian cochlea. Recently, the isoform of the NO-producing enzyme neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) has been demonstrated in spiral ganglion cells and olivocochlear neurons. The cochlea is also innervated by fibers stemming from the trigeminal ganglion (TG) and superior cervical ganglion (SCG). Whether these gangl...

The mammalian cochlea is a complex macroscopic structure due to its helical shape and the microscopic arrangements of the individual layers of cells. To improve the outcomes of hearing restoration in deaf patients, it is important to understand the anatomic structure and composition of the cochlea ex vivo. Hitherto, only one histological technique based on confocal laser scanning microscopy and...

We show data from a working 45-stage analog VLSI cochlea, built on a 2.2” x 2.2“ tiny chip. The novel architectural features in this cochlea are: 1. The use of a wide-linear-range low-noise subthreshold transconductance amplifier, 2. The use of “fuse-like” nonlinear positive-feedback amplification in the second-order cochlear fJter. Several new circuit techniques used in the design are describe...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To demonstrate the feasibility of optical coherence tomography in microstructural imaging of the porcine cochlea. STUDY DESIGN Ex vivo, porcine model. METHODS Optical coherence tomographic images of the porcine cochlea were obtained by thinning the bone from the basal turn of the cochlea leaving the endosteum intact. The images were compared with the corresponding hist...

Ears have evolved in parallel in vertebrates since a common divergence 300 million years ago. In birds, reptiles and amphibia, the hearing organ is strictly referred to as a papilla. The cochlea is the hearing organ of mammals and consists of a coiled cavity within the temporal bone on either side of the head. It contains the structures that separate the components of a complex sound by frequen...

BACKGROUND The photo-thermal effect has been hypothesised to be one of the most possible biophysical mechanisms for laser-cochlea stimulation. However, there is a lack of studies to date for direct assessing laser heating in humans due to the large body of evidence required to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Instead, the majority focus on animals like the guinea pig, from which a number of val...