There are several problems currently associated with peripheral functional neuromuscular stimulation prostheses. These problems include lead breakage and electrode migration due to the close proximity of the electrodes to the contracting muscles. It is postulated that a spinal cord functional neuromuscular stimulation system will eliminate these problems. To create such a system, microfabricated electrode arrays need to be developed. The goal of this project is to continue Phase I effort developing multiple microfabricated electrodes for producing stable and graded muscle contraction forces by stimulating motor neurons located in the mammalian lumbo-sacral spinal cord, ultimately for restoring functional motion to paralyzed individuals. In Phase I of this project, the Center for Engineering Design (CED) developed microelectrodes suitable for the stimulation of neural tissue. The initial phase of the Phase II project will focus on further developing and characterizing microfabricated electrodes that can eventually be fabricated in an array to be implanted in the spinal cord. The versatility of the arrayed microetectrodes will be tested in-vivo and percutaneous connectors will be developed to permit chronic studies.
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