Patterned electrical stimulation of the retina for the design of prostheses

用于设计假体的视网膜图案化电刺激

• 批准号: 8832946
• 负责人: Lauren Emily Grosberg
• 金额: $ 5.24万
• 依托单位: STANFORD UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-05-01 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8832946
• 关键词: Accommodation phosphene; Axon; Brain; Cell Density; Cells; Cellular Structures; Code; Collection; Computing Methodologies; Development; Devices; Distant; Electric Stimulation; Electrodes; Future; Geometry; Goals; Health; Image; Individual; Lead; Linear Models; Location; Measurement; Methods; Modeling; Monkeys; Morphology; Neurons; Patients; Pattern; Population; Property; Prosthesis; Prosthesis Design; Rattus; Relative (related person); Resolution; Retina; Retinal; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Staging; Staining method; Stains; Stimulus; Techniques; Testing; Time; Vision; Visual; Visual Acuity; Visual Fields; Visually Impaired Persons; Work; base; biophysical model; biophysical properties; blind; brain machine interface; density; design; electric field; improved; multi-electrode arrays; neuronal cell body; optical imaging; photoreceptor degeneration; prototype; relating to nervous system; research study; retinal prosthesis

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of epiretinal prostheses is to mimic natural vision by evoking neural activity in the retina using electrode arrays. Prototype devices use large, coarsely spaced electrodes that indiscriminately stimulate many cells simultaneously, producing large phosphenes and limited visual function in blind patients. In order to improve the quality of a future prosthetic device, we need the ability to selectively activate individual cells and groups of cells to accurately recreate the activity that occurs during normal vision. Recent studies from our lab show that we can stimulate individual cells selectively using safe current levels for specific cell densities. However, it is unknown whether selective activation is possible for cases where the density of RGCs is higher. In this proposal, we will test the hypothesis that we can improve selective activation in dense RGC regions by using patterned stimulation. We will exploit multi-electrode stimulating and recording techniques to perform the proposed experiments in isolated rat and monkey retinas. Aim 1 will explore whether the distinct biophysical properties of neuronal somas and axons will allow selective activation of somas while minimizing unwanted axon activation. Aim 2 will use empirical measurements combined with computational methods to empirically determine the best pattern for selectively activating a target cell. Aim 3 will incorporate imaging to guide our understanding of the cellular features tha influence selective activation using the patterned stimuli developed in Aims 1 and 2. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of whether patterned electrical stimulation can improve the selectivity of cell activation. Improved understanding of electrical stimulation techniques may guide the development of future, advanced retinal prostheses and other brain-machine interfaces.

 描述（由申请人提供）：视网膜前假体的目的是通过使用电极阵列诱发视网膜中的神经活动来模拟自然视觉。原型设备使用大的、间隔较粗的电极，同时不加区别地刺激许多细胞，产生大量的光幻视和有限的视觉功能。为了提高未来假肢装置的质量，我们需要能够选择性地激活单个细胞。 我们实验室的最新研究表明，我们可以使用特定细胞密度的安全电流水平选择性地刺激单个细胞，但目前尚不清楚是否可以进行选择性激活。 对于 RGC 密度较高的情况，我们将测试可以通过使用图案刺激来改善密集 RGC 区域的选择性激活的假设。我们将利用多电极刺激和记录技术来执行所提出的实验。目标 1 将探索神经体和轴突的独特生物物理特性是否允许选择性激活体体，同时最大限度地减少不需要的轴突激活，目标 2 将使用经验测量和计算方法来凭经验确定最佳方法。目标 3 将结合成像来指导我们使用目标 1 和 2 中开发的图案化刺激来理解影响选择性激活的细胞特征。这项研究的结果将有助于更好地理解是否图案化。电刺激可以提高细胞激活的选择性。提高对电刺激技术的理解可能会指导未来先进视网膜假体和其他脑机接口的开发。