Letter: Listening in the rain

From Michael Denison

I read with interest your article on amplifying neural signals along the spinal cord
(13 November, p 4).
While this might help people who are unable to walk, there may be other applications
too—such as boosting auditory nerve function in those who have impaired hearing.

Now 50, I have been hearing-impaired since the age of three. My impairment is
nerve-related, and I have worn hearing aids for most of my life.

While hearing aids help—and they have come a long way over the past 45
years—they do have their limitations. First, there is the problem with
oscillation, or feedback, that is particularly annoying at times. Second, if I
go swimming, the hearing aid must be removed, leaving me, for all practical
purposes, totally deaf. The aid must be protected against heavy rain, too.

If these neural amplifiers were not subject to the same limitations, they
could be a good solution for people like myself.

fishfeeds@juno.com