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Auditory Research Laboratory Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology 303 E. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611-3008 Claus-Peter Richter, M.D., Ph.D. My primary research interests are the development and improvement of cochlear implant electrodes, and the micromechanics of the mammalian cochlea.The objectives of the current research projects are to investigate the stimulation of (auditory) neurons with optical radiation, to measure the impedances of cochlear structures and possible current paths for the electrically stimulated cochlea. New placements and designs of cochlear implant electrodes are examined. Furthermore, mechanical properties, such as stiffness and mass of cochlear structures are examined in normal and developing animals. Currently a novel technique is developed to visualize soft tissue structures without opening the bony cochlear wall. Funding is provided by the National Intstitute of Health (NIH) and the E.R. Capita Foundation to study the stimulation of neurons using optical radiation and by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for cochlear micromechanics. |