Electrical Stimulation of Paralyzed Orbicularis Oculi

描述(申请人提供)：眼轮匝肌麻痹导致眼睑闭合不全，无论是自主运动还是反射性运动。由于眼睑闭合是润滑角膜的手段，因此眼睑的功能缺陷 闭上眼皮的能力可能会导致角膜受损和永久性视力障碍。目前确保闭眼的方法包括在眼皮上贴上黄金重物、人工泪水和眼睑修补术(缝合眼睛)。所有这些方法都有助于保存角膜，但往往不是完全有效的，不方便，而且会限制视力。 多年来，功能性电刺激已被证明对激活肌肉和神经有效。其他研究表明，电刺激眼轮匝肌可以恢复动物模型在有限时间内闭眼的能力。然而，以前在这一领域的研究很少，也没有详细研究轮匝肌的电反应特性。此外，任何已发布账户的持续刺激最长期限为30天。为了证明刺激装置的安全性和有效性，有必要增加植入和刺激的时间。此外，还应研究与瘫痪时间有关的疗效。 指导这项研究的假设是，在第七神经麻痹的动物模型中，功能性电刺激可以有效地恢复长达六个月的眼轮匝肌功能。为了验证这一假说，我们将进行实验，以确定刺激电极位置和刺激波形对肌肉反应的影响，以及瘫痪时间对肌肉反应的影响。这些初步实验的结果将导致慢性刺激电极的设计和实施。刺激器将被长期植入并激活六个月。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Paralysis of the orbicularis oculi muscle results in incomplete eyelid closure during both voluntary and reflex movement. Since eyelid closure is the means by which the cornea is lubricated, functional deficits in the ability to close the eyelid can lead to damage to the cornea and permanent vision impairment. Current methods for ensuring eye closure include gold weights attached to the eyelid, artificial tears, and tarsorrhaphy (suturing the eye closed). All these methods aid in the preservation of the cornea, but often are not fully effective, are inconvenient, and can limit vision. Functional electrical stimulation has been proven effective for activating muscle and nerve over many years. Other studies have demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the orbicularis muscle can restore the ability to close the eye in animal models for a limited period of time. However, the previous research in this area is minimal and has not investigated the electrical response characteristics of the orbicularis muscle in great detail. Also, the longest term of continuous stimulation of any published account is 30 days. To prove safety and effectiveness of a stimulating device, it will be necessary to increase the length of time of implantation and stimulation. In addition, the effectiveness as related to the length of paralysis should be studied. The hypothesis guiding this research is that functional electrical stimulation can effectively restore the function of the orbicularis oculi muscle for up to six months in animal models of seventh nerve paralysis. To investigate this hypothesis, experiments will be conducted to determine the effects of stimulating electrode position and stimulus waveform on the muscle response and the effects of length of paralysis on the muscle response. The results of these initial experiments will lead to the design and implementation of a chronic stimulating electrode. The stimulator will be chronically implanted and activated for six months.