title: A microscale photovoltaic neurostimulator for fiber optic delivery of functional electrical stimulation.
abstract: Recent advances in functional electrical stimulation (FES) show significant promise for restoring voluntary movement in patients with paralysis or other severe motor impairments. Current approaches for implantable FES systems involve multisite stimulation, posing research issues related to their physical size, power and signal delivery, surgical and safety challenges. To explore a different means for delivering the stimulus to a distant muscle nerve site, we have elicited in vitro FES response using a high efficiency microcrystal photovoltaic device as a neurostimulator, integrated with a biocompatible glass optical fiber which forms a lossless, interference-free lightwave conduit for signal and energy transport. As a proof of concept demonstration, a sciatic nerve of a frog is stimulated by the microcrystal device connected to a multimode optical fiber (core diameter of 62.5 microm), which converts optical activation pulses ( approximately 100 micros) from an infrared semiconductor laser source (at 852 nm wavelength) into an FES signal.
authors.affiliation: Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Yoon-Kyu
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Davitt
authors.forename: Mijail D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Serruya
authors.forename: Jiayi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Arto V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Nurmikko
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Donoghue
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007834:Lasers; D008904:Miniaturization; D055100:Optical Fibers; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011892:Rana catesbeiana; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology*