{"id":1837,"date":"2015-02-10T08:38:51","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T08:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pdxent.com\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2018-08-21T22:04:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T22:04:04","slug":"cochlear-implants-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdxent.com\/cochlear-implants-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Cochlear Implants: What They Are & How They Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hearing aids have helped countless Americans regain their ability to communicate, but they aren\u2019t perfect for everybody. Individuals with severe hearing loss or profound deafness may require a different solution for improving their hearing.<\/p>\n
Cochlear implants help many patients who are unable to benefit from hearing aids. Instead of amplifying sounds, they generate an electrical signal that bypasses damaged hair cells in the cochlea and provides direct stimulation of the auditory nerve. The brain interprets this information as sound.<\/p>\n
Cochlear implants are made up of external (microphone, speech processor, transmitter) and internal (receiver, electrodes) components. The external portion is worn behind the ear; the microphone picks up sound and sends it to the speech processor, which converts it to electrical impulses. These are transmitted to the receiver and through the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are perceived as sound.<\/p>\n