Floating Light Activated Micro-Electrical Stimulators for Neural Prosthetics

用于神经修复的浮动光激活微电刺激器

• 批准号: 7741496
• 负责人: MESUT SAHIN
• 金额: $ 34.88万
• 依托单位: NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2013-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7741496
• 关键词: Animal Testing; Animals; Auditory area; Beds; Brain; Cerebral cortex; Chronic; Clinic; Clinical; Cochlear nucleus; Custom; Devices; Disease; Dura Mater; Electric Stimulation; Electrodes; Engineering; Equipment Malfunction; Generations; Hearing; Horns; Immunohistochemistry; Implant; Individual; Lasers; Learning; Left; Leg; Light; Location; Locomotion; Mechanics; Methods; Microelectrodes; Midbrain structure; Motor; Motor Neurons; Movement; Neuraxis; Neurons; Peripheral Nervous System; Phase; Physiologic pulse; Preparation; Rattus; Semiconductors; Source; Specificity; Spinal Cord; Spinal cord grey matter structure; Spinal cord injury; Structure; Technology; Testing; Thick; Time; Tissues; Translations; Urination; Vertebral column; Visual Cortex; Wireless Technology; Work; base; blind; cranium; design; experience; gray matter; implantation; in vivo; microstimulation; neural circuit; neural prosthesis; new technology; optical fiber; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; response; spinal cord white matter; success; tool

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electrical activation of central and peripheral nervous system has been investigated for treatment of neural disorders for many decades and a number of devices have already moved into clinical phase with success. As we learn more about the neural circuitry in the spinal cord and the brain, new applications are targeting more specific circuits in the central nervous system and thus requiring much more localized means of electrical stimulation. Some example neural prosthetic applications are microstimulation of the spinal cord to restore locomotion or micturition in spinal cord injury, microstimulation of the cochlear nucleus, midbrain, or auditory cortex to restore hearing, and stimulation of the visual cortex in the blind subjects. In order to satisfy the demand in these applications, microelectrode arrays have been developed over the past decade. However, the current implantable microelectrode arrays use wired interconnects for applying the electric stimulations. These fine wires are a major source of device failure since they are the first to break in chronic implants. Moreover, the brain and the spinal cord experience significant amounts of translation inside the skull and the spinal column. Movement of the tissue around these rigid microelectrodes causes significant shear forces due to the mechanical mismatch between the electrode material and the neural tissue. These shear forces, exacerbated by the tethering forces of the wired interconnects, result in a thick encapsulation tissue layer that forms around the electrode. The mechanical mismatch and tethering forces not only cause cellular damage but also the loss of specificity of the stimulations because of this barrier that forms between the electrode and the targeted neurons. We propose a floating micro-electrical device as an alternative technology to micro-electrode arrays. The proposed micro-stimulators will be energized with an infrared light beam through an optical fiber located just outside the dura mater. The floating microstimulators will be free from any interconnects and tethering forces. Because the overall device size is much smaller, the insult to the neural tissue will also be much reduced. The main objective of this proposal is to develop and characterize these floating light activated micro-electrical stimulators (FLAMES). This technology can be instrumental in translation of many neural prosthetic approaches into the clinic, particularly those that involve microstimulation of the spinal cord. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The main objective of this proposal is to develop and test wireless microstimulators (<300 micron) for electrical activation of the central nervous system in neural prosthetic applications, such as those developed for individuals with spinal cord injury to regain some vital functions. We believe that these wireless micro-stimulators will eliminate the problems encountered with current microelectrode technology and thus enable the transfer of many neural prosthetic projects into the clinic.

描述（由申请人提供）：几十年来，人们一直在研究中枢和外周神经系统的电激活用于治疗神经疾病，许多器械已经成功进入临床阶段。 随着我们对脊髓和大脑中神经回路的了解越来越多，新的应用正在瞄准中枢神经系统中更特定的回路，因此需要更多的局部电刺激手段。 一些示例性神经假体应用是脊髓的微刺激以恢复脊髓损伤中的运动或排尿，耳蜗核、中脑或听觉皮层的微刺激以恢复听力，以及盲人受试者的视觉皮层的刺激。 为了满足这些应用的需求，在过去的十年中，微电极阵列已经发展。 然而，目前的可植入微电极阵列使用有线互连来施加电刺激。 这些细线是器械失效的主要来源，因为它们是慢性植入物中最先断裂的。 此外，大脑和脊髓在头骨和脊柱内经历大量的平移。 由于电极材料和神经组织之间的机械失配，组织在这些刚性微电极周围的运动引起显著的剪切力。 这些剪切力，由有线互连的束缚力加剧，导致在电极周围形成厚的封装组织层。 机械不匹配和束缚力不仅导致细胞损伤，而且由于电极和目标神经元之间形成的这种屏障而导致刺激的特异性丧失。 我们提出了一种浮动微电子器件作为微电极阵列的替代技术。 所提出的微刺激器将通过位于硬脑膜外的光纤用红外光束通电。 浮动微刺激器将不受任何互连和拴系力的影响。 由于整个装置尺寸小得多，对神经组织的损伤也将大大减少。 本提案的主要目标是开发和表征这些浮动光激活微电刺激器（火焰）。 这项技术可以帮助将许多神经假体方法转化为临床，特别是那些涉及脊髓微刺激的方法。 公共卫生相关性：该提案的主要目标是开发和测试无线微刺激器（<300微米），用于神经假体应用中的中枢神经系统电激活，例如为脊髓损伤患者开发的用于恢复某些重要功能的微刺激器。 我们相信，这些无线微刺激器将消除当前微电极技术遇到的问题，从而使许多神经假体项目转移到临床。