Cochlear implant (CI) electrode arrays typically do not extend along the entire cochlear duct, often resulting in poor stimulation of the most apical nerves. To better stimulate apical auditory nerve fibers (ANFs), previous studies have examined placing an isolated ground contact within the helicotrema, providing the ability to direct current apically....
No immediate practice change — findings are based on computational modeling only; clinical translation requires validation in human trials, but results may inform future CI programming strategies for improved low-frequency coverage.
Improving apical cochlear coverage through optimized stimulation strategies could significantly enhance music perception and speech understanding in noise for cochlear implant users.
- 01Standard cochlear implant electrode arrays often fail to adequately stimulate apical (low-frequency) nerve fibers.
- 02Neural stimulation computational models were used to simulate apically grounded CI electrode stimulation.
- 03Modeling results help explain the neural basis of apical stimulation gaps in current CI designs.
- 04Study is simulation-based; no patient data were used.
- 05Findings could inform next-generation electrode array design and fitting strategies.
Standard cochlear implant arrays leave a gap in apical nerve fiber stimulation.
studysupportedNeural stimulation models can simulate apically grounded CI stimuli to address coverage gaps.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42144535
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11548-026-03702-3.
- Journal
- International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Computational/neural stimulation models (no human participants)
- Intervention
- Apically grounded cochlear implant electrode stimulation (simulated)
- Comparator
- Standard cochlear implant electrode array stimulation
Primary outcomes
Neural activation patterns from apically grounded CI stimulation; Coverage of apical nerve fibers relative to standard arrays