Although it sounds very simple, one of our qualities that is difficult to appreciate unless we lose it is undoubtedly the ability to hear. You know roughly what happens in the absence of this ability. Those who have hearing problems either wear small devices that allow them to hear but you don’t know what they are, or communicate with body language, right?
In fact, much more happens in the absence of hearing. So much so that the situation known among the people as muteness can occur largely for this reason. Because it is very difficult for a deaf person to learn to speak. At this point, the functionality of the small tools we mentioned goes to a certain extent. However, the cochlear implant can be a solution even for people who have never heard, by opening many more doors than here.
So that you can understand how the cochlear implant works, let’s roughly describe how we ‘heard’.
In fact, although there are quite complicated processes here, it is enough to understand the process. First of all, the sound waves that enter from the outer part of the ear travel through the ear canal and reach the eardrum. Here, the vibrations of the eardrum vibrating with sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea through the bones in between.
The hairy cells in the cochlea convert these vibrations into signals and transmit them to the brain via the auditory nerve, and the brain interprets these signals as sound.
So what has changed in those who have hearing problems?
When the hair cells we mentioned cannot perform their functions, that is, when a problem occurs in the inner ear, there is a hearing problem because sound is not transmitted even if the eardrum is vibrating. But before the cochlear implants, which are the focus of our topic, there are hearing aids that we are all familiar with.
Although there are thousands of different types of these devices, what they do is basically the same.
And that is to amplify sound vibrations to match the structure of the ear. In order to achieve this, there are microphones, speakers and amplifiers in their structures. However, if the hair cells in the cochlea cannot function, hearing will not be possible no matter how loud the sound is.
This is where the cochlear implant comes into play. So what does this tool do differently?
Don’t be fooled, but to understand how a cochlear implant makes it possible to hear, it is necessary to know what it is and how it works. Let’s talk briefly.
cochlear implant; It consists of three parts, one inside the scalp and two outside. The microphone and transmitter are located outside, while the receiver is inside. In people who are deemed suitable for a cochlear implant, after the necessary preparations, a receiver is first placed under the scalp through surgery.
After a while, the microphone and processor can be easily attached from the outside.
The difference from the hearing aid is in its working principle.
At the beginning of our article, we said that “…if the hair cells in the cochlea cannot fulfill their function, hearing will not be possible no matter how loud the sound is”. The part of the cochlear implant placed inside the scalp goes into the cochlea and takes over the task of the hair cells there and transmits the necessary signal directly to the brain itself.
In other words, in this process, the events that take place in the inner ear are skipped and the hair cells are directly moved to the part.
The working logic is as follows:
- The outside microphone picks up the sounds and transfers them to the transmitting part.
- Incoming waves are sent to the receiver in the form of an encoded signal.
- The receiver inside the scalp receives these signals and converts them into electrical signals.
- With the electrode assembly, this signal is carried into the cochlea.
Certain frequencies are better perceived in certain parts of the cochlea
- The mechanism in the cochlea triggers different places according to the frequency of the incoming sound in this context.
- In this way, the signal is transmitted to the brain via the electrode, not the hair cells, and the sound in question is heard.
Since the number of hair cells we mentioned is very high, a healthy individual can distinguish between sounds more easily.
However, since there are not so many receptors in the cochlear implant, the sound separation is not that sharp. However, this does not change the fact that it is a miraculous tool for those who have hearing problems or no hearing at all.
According to the doctors, when this device is first inserted, the sound is perceived as a little muffled due to the brain’s acclimation process. It is also stated that early age is more ideal for adaptation to take place in the fastest and easiest way.
No need to be afraid:
After all, the faster you hold your hand in this matter, the faster you will regain the ability to hear. Don’t let it look like a complicated operation in your eyes. According to experts in the field, the cochlear implant can be placed easily after it is deemed appropriate.
We hope that this content, which we have prepared for the purpose of raising awareness upon the request of our readers, will give a different perspective to those who are prejudiced against cochlear implants and those who have incomplete information on this subject. You can suggest such topics either through our social media channels or through comments. We’ll be looking at each one.
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