Title :
Properties of the Stimulus Router System, a Novel Neural Prosthesis
Author :
Gan, Liu Shi ; Prochazka, Arthur
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Abstract :
Various types of neural prostheses (NPs) have been developed to restore motor function after neural injury. Surface NPs are noninvasive and inexpensive, but are often poorly selective, activating nontargeted muscles and cutaneous sensory nerves that can cause discomfort or pain. Implantable NPs are highly selective, but invasive and costly. The stimulus router system (SRS) is a novel NP consisting of fully implanted leads that ??capture?? and route some of the current flowing between a pair of surface electrodes to the vicinity of a target nerve. An SRS lead consists of a ??pick-up?? terminal that is implanted subcutaneously under one of the surface electrodes and a ??delivery?? terminal that is secured on or near the target nerve. We have published a preliminary report on the basic properties of the SRS [L. S. Gan , ??A new means of transcutaneous coupling for neural prostheses,?? IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 509-517, Mar. 2007]. Here, we further characterize the SRS and identify aspects that maximize its performance as a motor NP. The surface current needed to activate nerves with an SRS, was found to depend on the proximity of the delivery terminal(s) to the nerve, electrode configurations, contact areas of the surface electrodes and implanted terminals, and the distance between the surface anode and the delivery terminal.
Keywords :
anodes; biomedical electrodes; neurophysiology; prosthetics; cutaneous sensory nerves; electrode configurations; neural prosthesis; nontargeted muscles; pick-up terminal; stimulus router system; surface anode; surface current; surface electrodes; Biomedical electrodes; Connectors; Couplings; Electrodes; Gallium nitride; Implants; Injuries; Muscles; Neuroscience; Pain; Permission; Prosthetics; Skin; Functional electrical stimulation; neural prostheses; passive implant; stimulus router system; Animals; Cats; Electric Conductivity; Electric Stimulation; Electrodes, Implanted; Equipment Design; Muscle, Skeletal; Prostheses and Implants; Rabbits; Skin Physiological Phenomena;
Journal_Title :
Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TBME.2009.2031427