Neural interfaces have been a desired
development for use with patients who have suffered spinal cord
injuries, as part of Functional Electrical Stimulation systems,
and for neuroscience research into neuronal population encoding
of mechanical stimuli. The achievement of this goal for the peripheral
nervous system has languished because of the lack of an effective
sensor. This proposal will begin the development of a direct neural
interface to peripheral nerves using a novel multi-electrode sensor
based on silicone-wafer technology. The design of the electrode
will facilitate recording from ensembles of neurons that innervate
contiguous regions of tissue (e.g., skin). The output signals from
the sensor will be amplified, appropriately filtered, and processed
in real-time using existing off-the-shelf components. The sensor
will be tested using an isolated rat skin-nerve model that has been
extensively used by the principal investigator. The initial design
of the sensor will incorporate 8 channels. Subsequent designs will
eventually incorporate up to a maximum of 300 channels with multiplexed
signal processing. Following testing and design optimization, the
sensor and appropriate signal processing hardware will be marketed
as a "turnkey" system, as well as OEM versions to other system integrators. |
