Cochlear Limited

Jim Patrick

John Louis Parker

Fysh Dadd

Sean Lineaweaver

Gregory Howard Wakefield

Aaron Parkinson

Wendy Parkinson

Peter Gibson

Christopher Van Den Honert

Edmond D Capcelea

Kostas Tsampazis

Bart Volckaerts

Chris Van Den Hobert

Edmond Capcelea

Embodiments are generally directed to improving the interface between one or more electrode contacts of a medical implant and the neurons of a recipient of the medical implant. In an embodiment, a growth factor is applied to stimulate the growth of peripheral processes (also referred to as dendrites). Then an electric field is applied to direct the growth of the peripheral processes towards the electrode contact. Growing peripheral processes towards the electrode contacts may reduce the charge required to stimulate the peripheral processes and improve operation of the medical implant.

Electroneural interface for a medical implant

A cochlear implant is provided. The cochlear implant comprises a stimulator unit configured to generate electrical stimulation signals based on sound processor-encoded signals, and to generate one or more optical stimulation signals, and an implantable stimulating assembly. The implantable stimulating assembly is configured to be implanted into a basal region of a recipient's cochlea such that when the stimulating assembly is fully implanted, a distal end of the assembly extends to the basal turn of the cochlea. The stimulating assembly also comprises: an optical contact to deliver the one or more optical stimulation signals to the cochlea, and an electrical contact to deliver the electric stimulation signals to a basal region of the cochlea so as to cause perception by the recipient of one or more frequency components of the acoustic sound signal.

Optical neural stimulating device having a short stimulating assembly

Apparatus and method for at least partially fitting a medical implant system to a recipient is described. The medical implant system is configured to provide electrical stimulation and at least one other mode of stimulation to the recipient. These apparatuses and methods comprise executing a genetic algorithm to select a set of parameter values for the medical implant system. This genetic algorithm may comprise generating successive generations of child populations and then providing a determined set of parameter values to the medical implant system for use in providing stimulation to the recipient.

Using a genetic algorithm in mixed mode device

Apparatus and method for at least partially fitting a cochlear implant system to a patient is described, comprising: executing a genetic algorithm to select values for a subset of one or more parameters selected from a plurality of parameters for which values are to be selected to fit the implant, wherein said genetic algorithm is operable to generate one or more successive generations of values for said parameter subset; and determining, based on patient feedback, said values of said values for said parameter subset in each of said one or more successive generations.

Using a genetic algorithm to fit a cochlear implant system to a patient

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Roseville, Australia

Jim Patrick