**Glossary of technical terms**


**103**

**Author details**

Patrick J. Boyle

provided the original work is properly cited.

*Electrical Stimulation of the Auditory System DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85285*

Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)

Electrolysis an electro-chemical process whereby charged particles

the channels to be calculated

Impedance a measure of resistance to the flow of electrical current

Perilymph a fluid contained within much of the cochlea that is electrically conductive

Resistance a measure of how much the body will resist the flow of

Spiral Ganglion Cell the name given to hearing nerve neurones having a cell

Voltage source an electrical circuit that delivers a programmed voltage but

(impedance) offered by the body

impedance being the a more general factor

and dendrites innervating the inner hair cells

Masker-Probe a method of stimulus artifact removal relying on introducing

may be drawn towards an electrode with opposite charge, leading to electrode contact dissolution or tissue damage

an efficient software algorithm that evaluates the amount of sound energy at regularly spaced frequencies, so allows

than resistance which strictly only applies to direct current

electrical current, strictly only considering direct current,

body in the cochlea's modiolus, axon in the auditory nerve

that will allow current to vary depending on the resistance

that takes account of frequency so is more general

refraction to identify artifact and then using multiple stages of subtraction to isolate the neural response

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

Advanced Bionics GmbH, European Research Center, Hannover, Germany

\*Address all correspondence to: patrick.boyle@advancedbionics.com

*Electrical Stimulation of the Auditory System DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85285*

*The Human Auditory System - Basic Features and Updates on Audiological Diagnosis and Therapy*

With increasing numbers of CI recipients needing management by financially constrained health care systems, methods of improving patient management are being developed. These include the use of consumer devices, smart phones and tablets, to run Apps that can evaluate a CI user's speech understanding and qualitative condition as well as remotely analyzing the status of their implant and sound processor hardware [98] and delivering rehabilitation material usable by adult CI recipients and the families of young children. This whole area will necessarily see

The pressures on CI manufacturers to reduce size and improve comfort and ease of use continue, with cosmetic considerations playing a large role in the choice of which CI systems are selected. Reliability of both the implanted and external parts of the CI system needs to be continuously improved, underpinning consistent device use and reducing costs inherent in managing failures. Further pressures on cost are also critical to address so that the enormous unmet need for cochlear

Alternate-subtraction a method of removing stimulus artifact that relies on

Anodic refers to the positive going phase of a stimulation pulse

electrical dynamic range

Capacitor an electrical component that does not allow direct current

Cathodic refers to the negative going phase of a stimulation pulse

Charge an electrical measure formed by the product (strictly the

Cochlear Implant (CI) a surgically implantable prosthesis that bypasses a dam-

stimulation of the auditory nerve Current source an electrical circuit that delivers a programmed current,

Direct current an electrical current that flows in one direction only that can be harmful to the body

cochlear health

hence leading to electrical stimulation

delivering alternate phase stimulation pulses that

to pass so offers an additional level of protection to the body in the case of a fault occurring in an implant

that is generally assumed to depolarize neurones

integral) of current and time with units of Coulombs. The charge delivered determines the loudness perceived

aged cochlea providing hearing through direct electrical

varying the amount of voltage necessary to achieve this depending on the electrical resistance offered by the body

the measurement of electrical signals produced by the cochlea in response to acoustic stimulation that indicates

are added to ideally cancel artifact and reinforce response

that is generally assumed to provide change balance, hence avoiding the delivery of potentially harmful direct current

a circuit that compresses the large acoustic dynamic range into a range that is more manageable for the restricted

much development in the coming years.

**Glossary of technical terms**

Automatic Gain Control (AGC)

implants in developing countries can also be met.

**102**

(ECochG)

Electrocochleography

