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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve
Published on: October 8, 2014
Effect of Fiberoptic Collimation Technique on 808 nm Wavelength Laser Stimulation of Cochlear Neurons
Jingxuan Wang1, Jianren Lu1, Lan Tian1
1School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, Shandong, China .
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of fiberoptic collimation technique on auditory neural stimulation in the cochlea with 808 nm wavelength lasers.
Background Data:
Recently, the pulsed near-infrared lasers in the 800-1000 nm wavelength range have been investigated as an emerging technique to trigger auditory neural response in the cochlea. A laser beam divergence in the optical stimulation pathway exists, which may affect stimulation efficiency and spatial selectivity.
Methods:
The fiberoptic collimation technique was proposed for cochlear neuron stimulation, and the C-lens element was designed as the collimation structure. The spiral ganglion cells in deafened guinea pigs' cochlea were irradiated with collimated and uncollimated near-infrared lasers. Optically evoked auditory brainstem response (OABR) under the two laser output modes were recorded.
Results:
Laser with the collimation technique evoked an average 58% higher OABR amplitude than the uncollimated laser output. In addition, the collimated laser setup consumed on average 35.2% of laser energy compared with the uncollimated laser when evoking the same OABR amplitude.
Conclusions:
The fiberoptic collimation technique improved stimulation efficiency and reduced stimulating energy consumption in near-infrared neural stimulation in cochlea. The positive effects of laser collimation technique could benefit further research in optically based cochlear implants.
