GRAFTING AND ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION OF THE AUDITORY-NERVE IN CATS

The effect of implanting wire electrodes into the cochlea is limited by the deficit of nerve fibers in most diseases of the cochlea. Therefore, in a series of experiments it was tried, for the first time, to direct new outspreading nerve fibres into the afferent acoustic nerve by grafting a motor nerve to it. A second series of experiments should demonstrate the possibility of direct electrical stimulation of the eigths nerve by implanting wire electrodes via the transoccipital approach. The electrically evoked potentials, recorded at the auditory cortex, were compaired to potentials evoked by auditory stimulation. The answers to acoustic or electric stimulation showed no significant difference. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.