Functional nerve stimulation (FNS) is a means to restore lost function to patients with spinal cord injury. By directly stimulating the nerve, it is possible to maximize muscle contraction and minimize injected charge. An effective neural electrode must meet the following criteria: 1) The electrode must be able to activate any subset of the neural axon population, either deep or surface, selectively and independently and; 2) The electrode must not cause significant damage to the nerve. Current nerve cuff designs place electrodes around the nerve. These exhibit some degree of selectivity, but, cannot provide adequate functional control since it is not possible to selectively activate portions deep in the nerve without stimulation of the surface of the nerve. Intraneural electrodes have been developed to provide access to the deep portions of the nerve. Two of the current intraneural approaches are regeneration electrodes and wire electrodes. The regeneration design places a silicon substrate penetrated by holes between two severed ends of a nerve. The axons then regenerate through the holes. Wire electrodes are electrical wires threaded through the neural fascicles, penetrating the epineurium and a second protective layer, the perineurium. Both the threaded wire and regeneration designs provide selective stimulation of neural regions, but produce significant damage to the fascicles and axons. We propose a new design which combines the advantages of the standard nerve cuff and intraneural electrodes. This new device slowly places electrodes inside the nerve, but between the fascicles without perforation of the perineurium. The interaction takes place over the course of several days by taking advantage of the mechanical energy stored in the cuff prior to installation. Preliminary experiments have shown that the slow rate of penetration causes minimal damage and trauma to the nerve while still placing electrodes deep in the nerve.
The aims of this proposal are 1) to show that chronic damage from the electrode is minimal, 2) to determine the selectivity of the design for electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve in the cat, 3) develop finite element model of fields generated within the nerve and use this model to optimize the electrode design, and 4) to develop a electrode that utilizes currently available silicon technology to maximize the selectivity and function of the electrode. The end-product of this project will be an electrode capable of producing selective activation of neural regions by placing multiple contact points within the nerve with minimal axon damage. The same electrode could then be used for recording neuronal activity such as sensory signals and this Slowly Penetrating Interfascicular Nerve Electrode (SPINE) could, therefore, become a general purpose neural cuff design capable of both selective activation and recording.
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