Stanford University scientists have been researching the possibility of smaller, more specific electrodes for both eye and ear neuron stimulation. Current cochlear implants provide electrical stimulation directly to the 8th cranial nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells within the cochlea. The intent of this current research is to greatly reduce the size of current electrodes used in retinal and cochlear implant technology, in hopes of stimulating more discrete, individual neurons. Carbon nanotubes are being tested as a replacement for electrodes made of platinum and iridium, which require a larger surface area, and can damage the intact soft tissue. Dr. Harvey Fishman, a former researcher at Stanford now employed at the Plager Vision Center, was quoted in the Techonolgy Review saying, "Often, what happens in standard electrical prosthetics is you get an inflammatory reaction that can basically form a scar tissue around the implant."
The goal was to create a nanotube out of an element that naturally exists within the body: carbon. Scientists feel the carbon electrodes would have a lesser incidence of rejection with more specialized stimulation. Extensive research is currently being directed towards retinal stimulation, although cochlear implant technology will likely not go overlooked.
Dr. Harvey Fishman's contributions were published in August 2006:
Wang, K., Fishman, H.A., Dai, H., & Harris, J.S. (2006). Neural stimulation with a carbon nantotube microelectrode array. Nano Letters, 6(9), 2043 -2048.
Read the original article published in Mobile Magazine: www.mobilemag.com/content/100/102/C9346/
Nanotechnology Directed at Nerve Cells in the Retina and Cochlea?
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