Perspective abstract
Focus on Hearing
- Focus issue:
- Junember 2009 Volume 12, No 6
Nature Neuroscience 12, 686 - 691 (2009)
Published online: 26 May 2009 | doi:10.1038/nn.2326
Beyond cochlear implants: awakening the deafened brain
David R Moore1 & Robert V Shannon3
Abstract
Cochlear implants have provided hearing to more than 120,000 deaf people. Recent surgical developments include direct electrical stimulation of the brain, bilateral implants and implantation in children less than 1 year old. However, research is beginning to refocus on the role of the brain in providing benefits to implant users. The auditory system is able to use the highly impoverished input provided by implants to interpret speech, but this only works well in those who have developed language before their deafness or in those who receive their implant at a very young age. We discuss recent evidence suggesting that developing the ability of the brain to learn how to use an implant may be as important as further improvements of the implant technology.
- Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham, UK.
- National Biomedical Research Unit in Hearing, Nottingham, UK.
- House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Correspondence to: David R Moore1 e-mail: david.moore@ihr.mrc.ac.uk
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Neuroscience Converting thoughts into actionNature News and Views (13 Jul 2006)
Hearing A fantasia on Kölliker's organNature News and Views (01 Nov 2007)
See all 15 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Chimaeric sounds reveal dichotomies in auditory perceptionNature Letters to Editor (07 Mar 2002)
Speech motor learning in profoundly deaf adultsNature Neuroscience Article (01 Oct 2008)
See all 39 matches for Research
