Current Spreading and Speech-Processing Strategies for Cochlear Prostheses

Abstract

It is well known that current spreading in the cochlea causes a blurring at the excitable neural tissue of spatial details when the electrode array is stimulated. This paper describes techniques for compensating for current spreading by computing the pseudoinverse of the spreading function and applying a stimulation pattern to the electrode array, which produces the desired current pattern at the neural tissue. Specific examples are given assuming several current spreading functions, and the limits of applicability of the techniques in the domain of severe current spreading are explored.