Epidural Stimulation Via an Active Transistor Electrode Array to Alleviate Hearing Loss-Induced Tinnitus

Hearing involves the transduction of air pressure waves into electrical impulses as sounds are processed from the peripheral cochlea to the central auditory cortex. Peripheral damage to cochlear hair cells due to hearing loss generates phantom sound in the central nervous system, which is referred to as hearing loss-induced tinnitus. The auditory cortex plays an essential role in both normal and phantom sound perception. Owing to its accessible location, the auditory cortex has been targeted for neurostimulation to modulate sound perception. We developed an electrocorticography (ECoG) array that is placed on the cortical surface to enable sequential or simultaneous recording and stimulation of the auditory (i.e., tonotopic) region. Our previous work demonstrated that such cortical surface stimulation using a passive ECoG electrode array can alleviate hearing loss-induced tinnitus in rodents. However, the experiments were carried out on the subdural surface after the surgical removal of the dura mater, causing edema, cerebral hemorrhage, and inflammation during and after surgery, which limits the clinical implementation of such stimulation. Therefore, we recently developed a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-based active ECoG array for high-resolution recording and stimulation of the epidural surface. In the proposed study, we will test our hypothesis that electrotherapy via the active transistor array can effectively modulate cortical responses and sound perception on the epidural surface. If validated, this approach will offer a less invasive and more biocompatible alternative to existing methods. The adoption of this advanced approach is expected to result in the development of a clinically relevant neural implant that will enable high-resolution recording and stimulation of the epidural surface, providing a foundation for treating various sensorimotor and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, neuropathic pain, and depression.