Active MEMS Neural Clamps

描述(申请人提供)：主动式MEMS神经夹具在过去的十年中，重大的技术和科学进步导致了用于运动控制的神经假体设备的发展。这种设备的控制系统的进一步发展的一个重要方面将是能够获得长期稳定的神经活动的时空分布记录。同样，需要能够提供对神经组织的时空分布刺激的神经接口。在这个项目中，我们专注于开发一种新的方法来记录周围神经系统的分布式神经活动，特别是哺乳动物的脊神经根。其目标是建模、设计、制造、测试和表征基于微电子机械系统(MEMS)的神经电极，这些电极可以主动夹紧在脊神经根上。该夹紧机构将提供可逆的安全连接机构，以确保可靠地记录神经信号。夹持将由植入物部位的体温驱动。在植入过程中，通过局部灌流冷却的生理盐水，可以暂时逆转夹闭以进行重新定位。在有限元建模方法的指导下，制造将使用与集成电路制造兼容的硅片批量处理技术，以使未来能够开发用于滤波、放大和信号处理的片上电子设备。硅片制造也使低成本器件的未来发展成为可能。通过批处理，我们可以在单个晶片上改变电极和器件特性，以优化性能。同一设备上的几个电极配置将首先使用两栖神经进行评估，然后使用固定的啮齿动物神经进行评估，最后通过记录大鼠颈脊神经和膈神经的自主呼吸活动进行实时评估。将评估将电极放置在多个腰骶椎脊神经根上的能力。这些结果将指导电极的重新设计。这种新颖的设计允许重新定位多个空间分布的可植入电极。这种电极将提高我们对清醒受试者神经功能的科学研究能力，以及开发用于康复的先进神经假体产品的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): ACTIVE MEMS NEURAL CLAMPS In the past decade, significant technological and scientific advances have led to the development of neuroprosthetic devices for motor control. An important aspect in the further advancement of the control systems for such devices will be the ability to obtain stable spatiotemporally distributed recording of neural activity chronically. Similarly, neural interfaces that can provide spatiotemporally distributed stimulation of neural tissue are required. In this project, we are focusing on the development of a novel approach of recording distributed neural activity from the peripheral nervous system, in particular the mammalian spinal roots. The goal is to model, design, fabricate, test and characterize Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) based neural electrodes that actively clamp onto the spinal roots. This clamping mechanism will provide a reversible secure attachment mechanism to ensure reliable recording of the neural signals. The clamping will be driven by the body temperature at site of the implant. The clamping can be temporarily reversed for repositioning during the implant procedure by local perfusion of cooled saline solutions. The fabrication, guided by a finite element modeling approach, will use silicon wafer batch processing techniques that are compatible with integrated circuit manufacturing in order to enable future development of on-chip electronics for filtering, amplification and signal processing. The silicon wafer fabrication also enables future development of low-cost devices. With batch processing, we can vary the electrode and device characteristics on a single wafer to optimize performance. Several electrode configurations on the same device will be evaluated initially using amphibian nerve, then with fixed rodent nerve, and ultimately in real-time by recording autonomous respiratory activity from rat cervical spinal roots and the phrenic nerve. Ability to place the electrodes on multiple lumbosacral spinal roots will be evaluated. These results will guide the redesign of the electrodes. The novel design allows capability for repositioning of multiple spatially distributed implantable electrodes. Such electrodes will advance our capabilities of scientific investigation of neural function in awake subjects and in the development of advanced neuroprosthetic products for rehabilitation.