Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an approved therapy for patients suffering from refractory epilepsy. While VNS is currently an open loop system, making the system closed loop can improve the therapeutic efficacy. Electrical recording of peripheral nerve activity using a nerve cuff electrode is a potential long-term solution for implementing a closed-loop controlled VNS system. However, the clinical utility of this approach is significantly limited by various factors, such as poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the recorded electroneurogram (ENG). In this study, we investigated the effects of (1) modifying the electrode contact dimensions, (2) implementing an external shielding layer on the nerve cuff electrode and (3) exploring shielded bipolar nerve cuff designs on the recorded ENG. Findings from both computer simulations and animal experiments suggest that significant improvements in peripheral nerve
recordings can be achieved.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/42914 |
| Date | 27 November 2013 |
| Creators | Sadeghlo, Bita |
| Contributors | Yoo, Paul B. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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