Electrical stimulation of excitable tissue: design of efficacious and safe protocols.

Neuronal cell loss accompanies the brain tissue response to chronically implanted silicon microelectrode arrays

Although single-channel electrode arrays implanted in the scala tympani of deaf patients are useful as an aid to lip reading and for distinguishing some environmental sounds, they do not transmit intelligible speech. However, multichannel electrode arrays, which take advantage of the cochlea's tonotopic organization, may be capable of generating the complex patterns of neural activity necessary for speech discrimination. In this study, multichannel electrodes were implanted in the cochleas of four volunteers, with access to the connecting wires made through the skin via a percutaneous connector. The major portion of the data presented is from two of these subjects: one has been bilaterally deaf since birth and the other has been unilaterally deaf for 15 years. Preliminary results of experiments with two more recently implanted subjects are described as well as experiments with a fifth volunteer who was implanted with five electrodes by House in 1969. Data on pitch and loudness discrimination as well as the effects of stimulation parameters on threshold, impedance, and electrode interaction are presented. Place pitch and periodicity pitch were observed in all five volunteers. The results of pitch-matching experiments with the unilaterally deaf volunteer were consistent with tonotopic maps of the cochlea, and experiments indicated that a pitch continuum may be achieved by combining place and periodicity pitch modulation. Preliminary experiments in tune recognition with one subject demonstrate his ability to recognize simple melodies based on periodicity pitch cues. These results, coupled with the finding that subjective sensations remain stable over the long-term, support the feasibility of providing artificial hearing with a multichannel cochlear stimulation system.

Auditory prostheses research with multiple channel intracochlear stimulation in man.

Electrical stimulation of the nervous system is of increasing importance for a variety of prospective neural prostheses. Electrochemical reactions which may occur at Pt or other noble metal-tissue interfaces are reviewed. Use of stimulus waveforms with a net direct current component increases the probability of tissue damage. There are three conceptually safe methods of injecting charge from a noble metal into tissue: modification of the electrical double layer at the interface and coupling via either of two symmetrical surface-layer oxidation-reduction processes. These reactions may be addressed with stimulus waveforms without a direct current component and with controlled charge densities.

Electrochemical Considerations for Safe Electrical Stimulation of the Nervous System with Platinum Electrodes

To ensure long-term consistent neural recordings, next-generation intracortical microelectrodes are being developed with an increased emphasis on reducing the neuro-inflammatory response. The increased emphasis stems from the improved understanding of the multifaceted role that inflammation may play in disrupting both biologic and abiologic components of the overall neural interface circuit. To combat neuro-inflammation and improve recording quality, the field is actively progressing from traditional inorganic materials towards approaches that either minimizes the microelectrode footprint or that incorporate compliant materials, bioactive molecules, conducting polymers or nanomaterials. However, the immune-privileged cortical tissue introduces an added complexity compared to other biomedical applications that remains to be fully understood. This review provides a comprehensive reflection on the current understanding of the key failure modes that may impact intracortical microelectrode performance. In addition, a detailed overview of the current status of various materials-based approaches that have gained interest for neural interfacing applications is presented, and key challenges that remain to be overcome are discussed. Finally, we present our vision on the future directions of materials-based treatments to improve intracortical microelectrodes for neural interfacing.

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Progress towards biocompatible intracortical microelectrodes for neural interfacing applications

✓ The toxicity of certain metals, namely, platinum, platinum-8% tungsten, platinum-10% rhodium, platinum-10% iridium, platinum-10% nickel, platinized platinum, a gold-nickel-chromium alloy, a gold-palladium-rhodium alloy, a chromium-nickel-molybdenum alloy (Vitallium), stainless steel, silver, rhenium, and gold, was evaluated histologically following chronic implantation for 2 months in the brains of cats. Of the above metals, all but silver were found to be nontoxic. Boron was also evaluated and found to be nontoxic.

John M. Jurist

Papers

Brain tissue reaction to some chronically implanted metals