The principal objective of this research is to implant a penetrating, multi-electrode stimulating array into the cochlear nucleus of deaf or soon to be deaf humans who are undergoing surgery that will involve removal of the auditory nerve and to test the effectiveness of the array as part of an auditory prosthesis system. The research will also evaluate, in animals, the feasibility of silicon microelectrodes as a future electrode array for an auditory prostheses placed in the cochlear nucleus. These silicon microelectrodes shall have multiple prongs and each prong shall contain multiple stimulation sites; this design shall be optimized to stimulate neurons in the cochlear nucleus in a manner most appropriate for the representation of speech.
