QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, December 5, 2007, 27(49):13541-13551; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3123-07.2007

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in J. Neurosci. Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lim, H. H. Articles by Lenarz, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lim, H. H. Articles by Lenarz, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Electrical Stimulation of the Midbrain for Hearing Restoration: Insight into the Functional Organization of the Human Central Auditory System

Hubert H. Lim,¹ Thomas Lenarz,¹ Gert Joseph,¹ Rolf-Dieter Battmer,¹ Amir Samii,² Madjid Samii,² James F. Patrick,³ and Minoo Lenarz¹

¹Otorhinolaryngology Department, Hannover Medical University, 30625 Hannover, Germany, ²Neurosurgery Department, International Neuroscience Institute, 30625 Hannover, Germany, and ³Cochlear Limited, Lane Cove, New South Wales 2066, Australia

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Hubert H. Lim, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, HNO Klinik, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1 (Gebaeude K5, Ebene 1, Raum 4010), 30625 Hannover, Germany. Email: hubertlim{at}aol.com

The cochlear implant can restore speech perception in patients with sensorineural hearing loss. However, it is ineffective for those without an implantable cochlea or a functional auditory nerve. These patients can be implanted with the auditory brainstem implant (ABI), which stimulates the surface of the cochlear nucleus. Unfortunately, the ABI has achieved limited success in its main patient group [i.e., those with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)] and requires a difficult surgical procedure. These limitations have motivated us to develop a new hearing prosthesis that stimulates the midbrain with a penetrating electrode array. We recently implanted three patients with the auditory midbrain implant (AMI), and it has proven to be safe with minimal movement over time. The AMI provides loudness, pitch, temporal, and directional cues, features that have shown to be important for speech perception and more complex sound processing. Thus far, all three patients obtain enhancements in lip reading capabilities and environmental awareness and some improvements in speech perception comparable with that of NF2 ABI patients. Considering that our midbrain target is more surgically exposable than the cochlear nucleus, this argues for the use of the AMI as an alternative to the ABI. Fortunately, we were able to stimulate different midbrain regions in our patients and investigate the functional organization of the human central auditory system. These findings provide some insight into how we may need to stimulate the midbrain to improve hearing performance with the AMI.

Key words: auditory brainstem implant; auditory midbrain implant; auditory pathways; deep brain stimulation; inferior colliculus; NF2

---

Received July 9, 2007; revised Oct. 14, 2007; accepted Oct. 19, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Hubert H. Lim, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, HNO Klinik, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1 (Gebaeude K5, Ebene 1, Raum 4010), 30625 Hannover, Germany. Email: hubertlim{at}aol.com

Related articles in J. Neurosci.:

This Week in The Journal

J. Neurosci. 2007 27: i. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. H. Lim, M. Lenarz, and T. Lenarz Auditory Midbrain Implant: A Review Trends in Amplification, September 1, 2009; 13(3): 149 - 180. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. S. Malmierca, M. A. Izquierdo, S. Cristaudo, O. Hernandez, D. Perez-Gonzalez, E. Covey, and D. L. Oliver A Discontinuous Tonotopic Organization in the Inferior Colliculus of the Rat J. Neurosci., April 30, 2008; 28(18): 4767 - 4776. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help