Imaging techniques enable decisive step toward development of novel hearing prostheses
In cochlear implants background noises compromise the comprehension of speech. The teams of Tobias Moser and Tim Salditt (both MBExC) were now able to use combined imaging techniques of X-ray tomography and fluorescence microscopy to create detailed images of the cochleae of rodents and non-human primates. They show that spatially limited optogenetic stimulation of auditory neurons is possible. Accordingly, optical stimulation would lead to a much more differentiated auditory impression than the electrical stimulation used so far. Published in PNAS.
