programmable stimulus generator and multielectrode array to investigate new electrical stimulation protocols for relief from seizure-like activity

癫痫的研究已经表征了与哺乳动物癫痫发作相关的电活动，并且可以通过施加电刺激来抑制。已经表明，对类神经元活动的抑制随刺激频率而变化;在低频率下，抑制缓慢生效，但在刺激被移除后效果持久，而在较高频率下，缓解是立即的，但不会持续那么长时间。这种合作已经证实了这些数据。 本基金申请的设备将首先用于研究大鼠海马组织中癫痫样活动对混合频率电刺激的反应。通过将多于一个频率混合到电刺激信号中，预期可以观察到高频和低频两者的益处。这是一项重要的研究，因为“虽然用植入大脑的电极刺激不受控制的癫痫已经进行了多年，但迄今为止，很少有临床研究证实了治疗成功的初步声明。最好的刺激结构和最有效的刺激使用是未知的。”（《柳叶刀：神经病学》，第3卷，2004年，第111 -118页）。这项研究将采取措施来了解癫痫样活动抑制背后的过程，并帮助完善类似电路的神经连接模型。 该设备对于寻求使用“片上系统”技术开发具有集成前置放大和/或模数转换硬件的电极阵列的长期项目也至关重要。对这一设备的这种改进旨在大大提高信号/噪声比。这是对bresearch社区的重要支持步骤，因为神经组织逐渐受到电极植入和电刺激的影响。从本质上说，我们正在努力帮助电生理学家比现在更快地获得有用的数据。这对电气工程专业的学生来说是一个很好的机会，因为他们接触到了一个令人兴奋的跨学科研究环境。

Studies of epilepsy have characterized the electrical activity associated with the onset of seizures in mammals and can be suppressed via the application of an electrical stimulus. It has been shown that the suppression of seizure-like activity varies with the stimulus frequency; at low frequencies the suppression is slow to take effect, but the effect is long-lasting after the stimulus is removed whereas at higher frequencies relief is immediate but does not last as long. This collaboration has already confirmed such data.    The equipment requested in this grant will initially be used to investigate the response of epileptic seizure-like activity in rat hippocampal tissue to a mixed-frequency electrical stimulus. By mixing more than one frequency into the electrical stimulus signal it is anticipated that the benefits of both high and low frequencies may be observed. This is an important study as "Although stimulation for uncontrolled epilepsy with electrodes implanted in the brain itself has been done for many years, the initial claims for therapeutic success have not been confirmed by the very few clinical studies that have been done so far. The best structures to stimulate and the most effective stimuli to use are unknown." ("The Lancet: Neurology", Vol. 3, 2004, pp.111-118). This investigation will take steps to understand the processes behind the suppression of epileptic seizure-like activity and help refine models of neural connectivity that resemble electrical circuits.    The equipment is also critical to longer-term projects that seek to use "system-on-chip" technology to develop electrode arrays with integrated pre-amplification and/or analog-digital conversion hardware. Such enhancements to this equipment are aimed at significantly improving signal/noise ratios. This is an important supporting step for the bresearch community as the neural tissue is gradually affected by the implantation of electrodes and the presence of the electrical stimulus. In essence we are trying help electrophysiologists to obtain useful data quicker than at present. This represents an excellent opportunity for electrical engineering students as they are exposed to an exciting interdisciplinary research environment.