Innovating Optogenetic Stimulation of the Rodent Auditory Pathway (B01)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells ; Otolaryngology, Phoniatrics and Audiology ; Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 528760423

When hearing fails, cochlear implants (CIs) can bypass the defective sensory organ and stimulate the auditory nerve electrically. However, wide current spread from the electrode contacts leads to poor frequency coding. As light can be better confined in space, optogenetic activation of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) via Channelrhodopsins can improve frequency coding. However, the coding of temporal and intensity information by optogenetic SGN stimulation does not yet meet physiological sound encoding. We therefore plan to establish and evaluate dual-color optogenetic approaches to improve the coding of temporal and intensity information of future optical CIs.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1690: Disease Mechanisms and Functional Restoration of Sensory and Motor Systems
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Project Heads: Thomas Mager, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Tobias Moser