Neuroanatomy for Neurobionic Hearing Restoration

The auditory system is extremely complex and is responsible for perceiving and comprehending sounds in our environment. Neural prostheses are the focus of biomedical scientists since the end of last century, they aim to restore lost neural functions as a result of congenital or acquired disease. We present an overview on the anatomical basis of hearing restoration describing the actually available technology and methods of implant. In fact, despite the complexity of the auditory system, the devices implanted at different stages of the hearing pathways have proved their efficacy for the treatment of hearing deficits with different etiology. Near the excellent results of the cochlear implant, more complex and pioneering approaches, such as auditory brainstem implant and auditory midbrain implant, have demonstrated encouraging results and great potential for future development.