Electro-mechanical cochlear stimulation

The dynamic range available for the electrical stimulation of the cochlear-impaired ear is very narrow compared to that of acoustic stimulation of the normal ear. The normal frequency resolving mechanism is very much restricted for functional electrical cochlear stimulation. The activation or the auditory nerve and pattern of activation are not dependent on the spectral content of the electrical signal at least not in a manner similar to normal cochlear function. This is one of the major inherent problems of electrical stimulation which prevents effective transfer of the information during the cochlear prosthesis. This paper proposes a hypothesis on electro-mechanical stimulation and explains how the commutative effect of mechanical stimulation (mechanical conditioning) and electrical stimulation elicit better dynamic response than electric stimulation alone