Artificial organs
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The trend in neural prostheses using selective nerve stimulation for electrical stimulation therapies is headed toward single-part systems having a large number of working electrodes (WEs), each of which selectively stimulate neural tissue or record neural response (NR). The present article reviews the electrochemical and electrophysiological performance of platinum WE within a ninety-nine-electrode spiral cuff for selective nerve stimulation and recording of peripheral nerves, with a focus on the vagus nerve (VN). The electrochemical properties of the WE were studied in vitro using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. ⋯ The EIS results revealed capacitive charge transfer predominance, which is a highly desirable property. Electrophysiological performance testing indicated the potential existence of certain parameters and waveforms of the stimulus for which the contribution of the A-fibers to the NR decreased slightly and that of the B-fibers increased slightly. Findings show that the design of the stimulating electrodes, based on the EIS and ECM results, could act as a useful tool for nerve cuff development.
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The level of sustainable excitability within lumbar spinal cord circuitries is one of the factors determining the functional outcome of locomotor therapy after motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. Here, we present initial data using noninvasive transcutaneous lumbar spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to modulate this central state of excitability during voluntary treadmill stepping in three motor-incomplete spinal cord-injured individuals. Stimulation was applied at 30 Hz with an intensity that generated tingling sensations in the lower limb dermatomes, yet without producing muscle reflex activity. ⋯ This preliminary work suggests that tSCS provides for a background increase in activation of the lumbar spinal locomotor circuitry that has partially lost its descending drive. Voluntary inputs and step-related feedback build upon the stimulation-induced increased state of excitability in the generation of locomotor activity. Thus, tSCS essentially works as an electrical neuroprosthesis augmenting remaining motor control.