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This sounds like the idea of a new X-Men movie: Synesthesia is a very special form of perception. In people with this unusual ability, the senses are mixed. If the sense of hearing is stimulated by the sounds, this can trigger an additional sensory perception, so that the sounds suddenly take on the appearance of colors or letters. Yes, it sounds fantastic, but it really exists!
Researchers at the University Hospital of Göttingen treated this peculiarity and had the idea of using this principle for a new cochlear concept. The first testers were gerbils who could actually hear the light after the procedure.
The first experiment was to inject a virus into the ears of gerbils. Yes, animal testing is a terrible thing and I do not want to imagine how poor the rodents were confused after the intervention. Because the virus has made the ear cells more sensitive to light, the researchers then implanted fiber optics to provide light to the neurons
The experiment has been shown to be effective and scientists have shown that animals have light. The receptors in the ear have been captured, perceived as healthy. So, you could hear pulses of light! Now that this feasibility study is complete, it is hoped to use this technique in the future for the further development of cochlear implants.
"Hearing loss is a big problem for many people. It's also a problem that we all face in our life. With age, you hear more and more badly. At some point, you will need a hearing aid or an implanted auditory system. We tried to find a way to improve cochlear implants, and we did it using light to stimulate the neurons of the auditory nerves. This allows patients to perceive a much finer frequency resolution. It means more channels of information. " Dr. Marcus Jeschke, Project Researcher
It gives you a much higher resolution sound and it can be important in different situations – for example, when you're talking in a crowded room. in its infancy and there is still work to be done before this technique can be applied to humans through clinical trials.After all, it is a big step on the part of rodents who listen to it. human ear
via: digitaltrends
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