The
model—which includes electrical coupling of the cochlea—is the most
detailed one-dimensional model developed to date, and allowed Mohammad
to predict some characteristics of the cochlear microphonic.
“Some
of these characteristics are different from what many researchers
thought in the past, and may have clinical significance once further
research is done,” says Mohammad.
Mohammad says
the cochlear microphonic signal is a potential tool for diagnosing
hearing impairments and investigating cochlear function.
“The
CM can provide information about the health of particular sections of
the cochlea, which may lead to faster and more accurate methods of
adjusting the many settings of modern hearing aids to compensate for
areas of weakness.
“The cochlea is hard to
study because of where it is in the body and the complex processes at
work. Modelling allowed us to bridge these gaps and gain useful
information.”
Mohammad, who had no previous
experience researching the cochlea, says it took him around eight months
to learn its functionality.
“It’s a
fascinatingly complex organ and there’s still mystery around how it
works. Further modelling and signal processing experiments will lead to
better methods of diagnosis, and improved methods of treatment for
hearing impairments. It may also lead to the development of
bionics-inspired speech recognition systems similar to the human
cochlea.”