Cochlear Limited

Universidad De Las Palmas De Gran Canaria

University of Las Palmas De Gran Canaria

Angel Ramos De Miguel

Angel Manuel Ramos Macias

Carl Van Himbeeck

Koen Erik Van Den Heuvel

Erika J Van Baelen

Mattheus Johannes Petrus Killian

A vestibular stimulation prosthesis can restore vestibular function in recipients having vestibular deficiency. In an example, a body is appended onto or within the recipient's ossicular chain such that the body directly interfaces with an oval window of an inner ear of the recipient. Electrical stimulation is provided using one or more electrodes of the body to stimulate the vestibular system and thereby restore vestibular functioning. In an example, a stimulator device connected to the body via a lead is also implanted. The stimulator device can have a small and convenient form factor. In some instances, the stimulator device is a stand-alone device that is configured to provide stimulation to the recipient's vestibular system without respect to signals received from devices external to the recipient. In some implementations, the stimulator device is a component of a sensory prosthesis (e.g., a cochlear implant or bionic eye) or another medical device.

Vestibular stimulation prosthesis

Presented herein are techniques for electrically stimulating a recipient's vestibular nerve in order to mask vestibular noise signals (vestibular noise) generated by the peripheral vestibular system (e.g., prevent erroneous balance information generated by the peripheral vestibular system from being sent to the brain of the recipient). A vestibular nerve stimulator in accordance with embodiments presented herein includes a plurality of electrodes implanted in an inner ear of a recipient at a location that is adjacent to the otolith organs of the inner ear. The vestibular nerve stimulator is configured to generate one or more continuous pulse trains and to deliver the one or more continuous pulse trains to the inferior branch of the recipient's vestibular nerve.

Vestibular nerve stimulation

Disclosed technology includes technology for compensating for a balance dysfunction. A system can combine sensory substitution with balance dysfunction suppression. Dysfunctional balance information coming from a recipient's vestibular system is inhibited using stimulation. Balance information (e.g. how the recipient is positioned with respect to gravity, such as rotation along pitch and roll axes) is then passed to another sensory channel (e.g., visual, audible, or tactile sensory channels). Such a system can be implemented with a cochlear implant or another sensory prostheses having balance signals injected into the stimulation signal processing path.

Balance compensation

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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Angel Ramos De Miguel