title: Feedback stimulation strategy: control of retinal ganglion cells activation.
abstract: It is possible to cause a sensation of light in patients who have lost photoreceptors due to degenerative eye diseases by targeting surviving neurons with electrical stimulation by means of visual prosthetic devices. All stimulation strategies in currently used visual prostheses are open-loop, that is, the stimulation parameters do not depend on the level of activation of neurons surrounding stimulating electrodes. In this paper, we investigate a closed-loop stimulation strategy using computer simulations of previously constrained models of ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells. Using a proportional-integral-type controller we show that it is possible to control activation level of both types of retinal ganglion cells. We also demonstrate that the controller tuned for a particular combination of synaptic currents continues to work during retina degeneration when excitatory currents are reduced by 20%.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kameneva
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Grayden
authors.forename: Hamish
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meffin
authors.forename: Anthony N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Burkitt
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004566:Electrodes; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009991:Oscillometry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D057488:Visual Prosthesis