Optimal Electrode Geometries for Efficient and Selective Deep Brain Stimulation

描述(申请人提供)：脑深部刺激(DBS)是一种治疗运动障碍的有效方法，也是治疗癫痫和精神障碍的一种有前途的治疗方法。尽管DBS在临床上取得了成功，但该疗法仍有几个方面可以改进。例如，更换原电池的手术，或纠正错误放置的导线的手术，增加了治疗的成本和风险。总体研究目标是设计和测试新的DBS电极几何结构，以提高脑刺激的功率效率和选择性。这一结果将降低与翻修手术相关的成本和风险，使DBS成为一种更具成本效益和更安全的治疗方法，它还将拓宽我们对电极几何形状在电刺激中作用的理解。第一个目标是 使用我们的电刺激和工程优化的生物物理模型来设计更有效地刺激各种神经元素的电极。我们将通过耦合神经元电缆模型、电场有限元模型和搜索启发式遗传算法，分别设计两种用于刺激大脑白质和灰质区域的最佳电极几何形状。这种设计优化的目标是开发更适合其预期解剖目标的电极。第二个目的是在动物模型上实验测量优化的电极设计在DBS过程中的效率和选择性。我们将量化我们的电极设计在体外的电阻抗，并在麻醉猫身上测量体内刺激效率和选择性。这些实验的目的是将我们的结果与目标1的计算模型的预测进行比较，并将我们的优化设计与临床使用的传统DBS电极(美敦力3387型号)的性能进行比较。这项研究的成功实施将影响DBS的临床疗效，以及使用电疗法的其他疗法 刺激，包括脊髓刺激。从长远来看，这项研究将有助于将电极设计从一种特殊的实践转变为一门计算科学。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for movement disorders and a promising therapy for treating epilepsy and psychiatric disorders. Despite the clinical successes of DBS, there are several aspects of the therapy that can be improved. For example, surgeries to replace primary cell batteries, or to correct misplaced leads, increase the cost and risks of the therapy. The overall research objective is to design and test novel DBS electrode geometries that increase the power efficiency and selectivity of brain stimulation. The outcome will reduce the cost and risks associated with revision surgeries, making DBS a more cost effective and safer therapy, and it will also broaden our understanding of the role of electrode geometry in electrical stimulation. The first aim is to use our biophysical model of electrical stimulation and engineering optimization to design electrodes that are more efficient at stimulating various neural elements. We will design two optimal electrode geometries for stimulating the white and grey matter regions of the brain, respectively, by coupling cable models of neurons, finite element models of electric fields, and a search heuristic, the genetic algorithm. The goal of this design optimization is to develop electrodes that are better suited to their intended anatomical target. The second aim is to measure experimentally the efficiency and selectivity of the optimized electrode designs during DBS in an animal model. We will quantify the electrical impedance of our electrode designs in vitro, and measure the in vivo stimulation efficiency and selectivity in anesthetized cats. The purpose of these experiments is to compare our results to the predications of the computational models from Aim 1, and to compare the performance of our optimized designs against the conventional DBS electrode used clinically (Medtronic model 3387). Successful execution of this research will impact the clinical efficacy of DBS, as well as other therapies using electrical stimulation, including spinal cord stimulation. In the long-term, the research will help transform electrode design from an ad hoc practice to a calculated science.