Near physiological spectral selectivity of cochlear optogenetics

Alexander Dieter, Carlos J. Duque-Afonso, Vladan Rankovic, Marcus Jeschke and Tobias Moser ()
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Alexander Dieter: University Medical Center Göttingen
Carlos J. Duque-Afonso: University Medical Center Göttingen
Vladan Rankovic: University Medical Center Göttingen
Marcus Jeschke: University Medical Center Göttingen
Tobias Moser: University Medical Center Göttingen

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Cochlear implants (CIs) electrically stimulate spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) and partially restore hearing to half a million CI users. However, wide current spread from intracochlear electrodes limits spatial selectivity (i.e. spectral resolution) of electrical CIs. Optogenetic stimulation might become an alternative, since light can be confined in space, promising artificial sound encoding with increased spectral selectivity. Here we compare spectral selectivity of optogenetic, electric, and acoustic stimulation by multi-channel recordings in the inferior colliculus (IC) of gerbils. When projecting light onto tonotopically distinct SGNs, we observe corresponding tonotopically ordered IC activity. An activity-based comparison reveals that spectral selectivity of optogenetic stimulation is indistinguishable from acoustic stimulation for modest intensities. Moreover, optogenetic stimulation outperforms bipolar electric stimulation at medium and high intensities and monopolar electric stimulation at all intensities. In conclusion, we demonstrate better spectral selectivity of optogenetic over electric SGN stimulation, suggesting the potential for improved hearing restoration by optical CIs.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09980-7

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