Calibration of Cochlear Implant Dynamic Range

• US 20070055323A1
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary (Foundation of The Massachusetts Eye and EAR Infirmary Incorporated), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary (Foundation of The Massachusetts Eye and EAR Infirmary Incorporated)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Barbara, Eddington, Donald
• Application Number:
  US11/470,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055323A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation

Abstract

A computer-readable medium has, encoded thereon, software for executing a method for detecting coupling between electrodes of a neural prosthesis implanted to stimulate neural tissue. The software includes instructions for stimulating a first electrode of the prosthesis with a first test signal having a first frequency; stimulating a second electrode of the prosthesis with a second test signal at a second frequency that differs from the first frequency; and identifying an occurrence of a beat signal indicative of an interaction between the first and second test signal.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon software for identifying coupling between electrodes of a neural prosthesis, the software comprising instructions for:

stimulating a first electrode of the prosthesis with a first test signal having a first frequency;

stimulating a second electrode of the prosthesis with a second test signal at a second frequency that differs from the first frequency; and

identifying an occurrence of a beat signal indicative of an interaction between the first and second test signal.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for identifying an occurrence of a beat signal comprise instructions for receiving information indicative of a patient'"'"'s perception of the beat signal.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for identifying an occurrence of a beat signal comprise instructions for identifying the occurrence of the beat signal on the basis of an evoked potential detected by a third electrode.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for identifying an occurrence of a beat signal comprise instructions for identifying the occurrence of the beat signal on the basis of a stimulus artifact detected by a third electrode.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the software further comprises instructions for receiving information from a cochlear implant.

6. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon software for calibrating electrodes in a neural prosthesis, the software comprising instructions for:

stimulating a test electrode at a selected stimulus level;

detecting a signal indicative of coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue; and

adjusting the selected stimulus level to avoid the coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions for detecting a signal indicative of coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue comprise instructions for:

recording response signals provided by a plurality of remaining electrodes; and

on the basis of the response signals, determining that coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue has occurred.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions for detecting coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue comprise instructions for receiving information indicative of a patient'"'"'s perception of distortion, and on the basis of the information, detecting a signal indicative of coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the software further comprises instructions for receiving information indicative of a patient'"'"'s perception of distortion from a cochlear implant.

10. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon software for identifying coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue, the software comprising instructions for:

stimulating a first electrode with a first test signal;

stimulating a second electrode with a second test signal; and

detecting a signal indicative of an interaction between the first test signal and the second test signal.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions for stimulating a first electrode comprise instructions for obtaining information indicative of a patient'"'"'s perception of sound, and stimulating the first electrode with a first test signal having an amplitude selected on the basis of the information.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for detecting a signal indicative of an interaction comprise instructions for obtaining information indicative of a patient'"'"'s perception of the interaction, and detecting the signal on the basis of the information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions for detecting a signal indicative of an interaction comprise instructions for detecting the signal on the basis of an evoked potential detected by a third electrode.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions for detecting a signal indicative of an interaction comprise instructions for detecting the signal on the basis of a stimulus artifact detected by third electrode.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the software further comprises instructions for selecting the first and second test signals to have different frequencies.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the software further comprises instructions for selecting the first and second test signals to have different amplitudes.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the software further comprises instructions for selecting the first and second test signals to have different complex amplitudes.

18. A method for identifying coupling between electrodes of a neural prosthesis, the method comprising:

stimulating a first electrode of the prosthesis with a first test signal having a first frequency;

stimulating a second electrode of the prosthesis with a second test signal at a second frequency that differs from the first frequency; and

identifying an occurrence of a beat signal indicative of an interaction between the first and second test signal.

19. A method for calibrating electrodes in a neural prosthesis, the method comprising:

stimulating a test electrode at a selected stimulus level;

detecting a signal indicative of coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue; and

adjusting the selected stimulus level to avoid coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue.

20. A method for identifying coupling between discontiguous regions of neural tissue, the method comprising:

stimulating a first electrode with a first test signal;

stimulating a second electrode with a second test signal; and

detecting a signal indicative of an interaction between the first and second signal.