Multichannel, High-fidelity Carbon Fiber Electrodes to Enhance Composite Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces

项目总结 肌电接口假体设备经常被誉为下一个伟大的创新 截肢手术。这些设备通常利用传出的神经肌肉信号，但发生的运动是 通常简单、脱节，并且每个动作都需要单独的、独立的控制信号。现代 假肢也缺乏任何能产生适当本体感觉的可感知的传入感觉输入。 和触觉反馈，从而迫使用户在每次移动时将设备可视化。因此，这些设备 通常与严重的精神疲劳和最终遗弃有关，高达75%的时间，导致 严重残疾。为了防止设备排斥，开发一种理想的假体接口，允许 运动控制和感觉反馈是关键。各种外周神经接口已经被 但他们的成功受到了严重缺乏高保真电极的限制，这将允许 稳定有效地将界面与假体整合。解决这一问题的一个新战略是 通过使用高密度多通道碳纤维电极植入复合蓄热体 周围神经接口(C-RPNI)。C-RPNI需要将感觉运动周围神经植入 由一段游离肌肉移植物缝合到真皮移植物上并重新支配皮肤构建而成 适当的感官和运动末端器官。因此，C-RPNI作为假体的放大系统 检测同时传出的运动信号并产生传入感觉信息的装置。细金属丝 电极目前被用来与这些C-RPNI结合，但随着时间的推移，它们会引起纤维化反应 受限于他们不能与单一的运动和感觉单位互动。碳纤维电极具有 先前证明在无纤维化反应证据的脑组织中长期使用，同时维持 单个神经单位的信号传递能力，使其成为这一提议的理想电极材料。整体而言 该方案的目的是促进一种用于假肢的神经、闭环感觉运动控制系统 模拟缺失肢体的功能。中心假设是这些微尺度、高密度 碳纤维电极阵列将允许慢性记录复合肌肉动作电位(CMAP) 在提供同步电刺激的同时，从单个运动单位产生传入 来自单一感觉单位的复合感觉神经动作电位(CSNAP)。这一中心假设将是 以大鼠为研究组，通过追求两个目标进行检验：(1)整合功能性、高密度 C-RPNIS中的碳纤维电极阵列；以及(2)使用集成碳纤维电极阵列来慢性地 记录和刺激C-RPNI的电生理信号。开发和实现这两个目标 AIMS将鼓励在开发理想的神经、闭合环假体方面取得进一步进展 这种装置将为截肢患者提供更自然、更直观的肢体功能。

PROJECT SUMMARY Myoelectric interface prosthetic devices are often lauded as the next great innovation for those living with amputations. These devices typically utilize efferent neuromuscular signals, but movements that occur are often simple, disjointed, and require a separate, independent control signal for each motion. Modern prosthetics also lack any appreciable afferent sensory input that would generate appropriate proprioception and tactile feedback, thus forcing the user to visualize the device with each movement. As such, these devices are often associated with significant mental fatigue and eventual abandonment up to 75% of the time, causing significant disability. To prevent device rejection, development of an ideal prosthetic interface allowing for motor control alongside sensory feedback is key. A variety of peripheral nerve interfaces have been developed, but their success has been restricted by a critical lack of high-fidelity electrodes that would allow for stable and effective integration of the interface with the prosthetic. A novel strategy to address this issue is through the use of high-density multi-channel carbon fiber electrodes implanted into a composite regenerative peripheral nerve interface (C-RPNI). The C-RPNI entails implanting a sensorimotor peripheral nerve into a construct composed of a segment of free muscle graft sutured to dermal skin graft with reinnervation of appropriate sensory and motor end organs. The C-RPNI thus serves as an amplification system for prosthetic devices to detect simultaneous efferent motor signals and produce afferent sensory information. Fine-wire electrodes are currently utilized to interface with these C-RPNIs, but they cause fibrotic reaction over time and are limited by their inability to interact with single motor and sensory units. Carbon fiber electrodes have previously demonstrated chronic use in brain tissue without evidence of fibrotic reaction while maintaining single neural unit signaling capabilities, making them the ideal electrode material for this proposal. The overall objective of this proposal is to facilitate a neural, closed-loop sensorimotor control system for prosthetic function that mimics that of the absent limb. The central hypothesis is that these micro-scale, high-density carbon fiber electrode arrays will allow for chronic recording of compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) from individual motor units alongside providing simultaneous electrical stimulation to produce afferent compound sensory nerve action potentials (CSNAPs) from single sensory units. This central hypothesis will be tested through the pursuit of two aims utilizing rats as the study group: (1) integrate a functional, high-density carbon fiber electrode array in C-RPNIs; and (2) use an integrated carbon fiber electrode array to chronically record and stimulate electrophysiological signaling from the C-RPNI. Developing and achieving both of these aims would encourage further progress towards the development of the ideal neural, closed-loop prosthetic device that would provide those living with amputations more natural and intuitive limb function.