Can you imagine being unable to hear the melody of your favorite song blasting through your headphones, or the goofy sound of your own laugh? I certainly cannot imagine not having this in my life. Unfortunately, about 15% of American adults have trouble hearing and about 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children suffer from hearing loss in one or both ears (Source). However, the lives of many deaf individuals were transformed after the invention of an electronic device developed by Professor Graeme Clark.

The cochlear implant is a minute electronic device that transmits a sense of sound to individuals who are deaf or extremely hard-of-hearing. There is an external piece and an internal piece of the implant. The external piece is placed behind the persons ear while the internal piece is surgically inserted under the skin behind the external piece. There are four different parts of the implant that work together to receive and transmit sound to the individual. The implant consists of a microphone, a speech processor, a transmitter and receiver/stimulator, and an electrode array. They function together by picking up sound from the surrounding area, assembling the sound that is picked up, converting signals into electric impulses and then sending these impulses through the auditory nerve to the brain.

Cochlear implants send signals directly to the brain which then recognizes the signals as sound, whereas a hearing aid only amplifies sound. This implant doesn’t reproduce normal hearing but instead allows a person to hear representations of sound. It allows them to engage in conversations, enjoy simple sounds in the environment, listen to music etc.

To be eligible for a cochlear implant you must be a child or adult who is deaf or severally hard of hearing. Children who receive an implant at an early age are at a prime time to develop and understand speech better than those who receive it in later years. The earliest a child can get a cochlear implant is at the age of 12 months. Studies have shown that those who receive an implant at an early age develop language skills at a similar pace as children with normal hearing. Adults who have partially or completely lost their hearing later in life can also receive an implant. These individuals benefit from the cochlear implant by associating the sounds it transmits with sounds they have heard before and remember. As of December 2012 approximately 324,200 people in the world have received cochlear implants.

To improve the cochlear implant researchers are working to develop new ways for individuals who suffer from other types of hearing loss to benefit from the implant. They are also exploring ideas on enhancing its speech quality.

Below is a heartwarming video of people who have just received a cochlear implant and are hearing sound for the first time!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/10/people-hear-for-first-time-video_n_6646594.html

Sources:

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/pages/quick.aspx

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/coch.aspx

http://www.cochlear.com/wps/wcm/connect/au/about/cochlear-30-anniversary

http://www.med.unc.edu/earandhearing/adult-services/CIs/cisvhas