Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Nat Mater. 2011 Oct 23;10(12):980-6. doi: 10.1038/nmat3146.
Conventional functional electrical stimulation aims to restore functional motor activity of patients with disabilities resulting from spinal cord injury or neurological disorders. However, intervention with functional electrical stimulation in neurological diseases lacks an effective implantable method that suppresses unwanted nerve signals. We have developed an electrochemical method to activate and inhibit a nerve by electrically modulating ion concentrations in situ along the nerve. Using ion-selective membranes to achieve different excitability states of the nerve, we observe either a reduction of the electrical threshold for stimulation by up to approximately 40%, or voluntary, reversible inhibition of nerve signal propagation. This low-threshold electrochemical stimulation method is applicable in current implantable neuroprosthetic devices, whereas the on-demand nerve-blocking mechanism could offer effective clinical intervention in disease states caused by uncontrolled nerve activation, such as epilepsy and chronic pain syndromes.
传统的功能性电刺激旨在恢复因脊髓损伤或神经紊乱而导致残疾的患者的功能性运动活动。然而，神经疾病的功能性电刺激干预缺乏一种有效的可植入方法来抑制不需要的神经信号。我们开发了一种电化学方法，通过电调制沿神经的原位离子浓度来激活和抑制神经。使用离子选择性膜来实现神经的不同兴奋性状态，我们观察到刺激的电阈值降低了约 40%，或者神经信号传播的自愿、可逆抑制。这种低阈值电化学刺激方法适用于当前的可植入神经假肢设备，而按需神经阻断机制可以为不受控制的神经激活引起的疾病状态（如癫痫和慢性疼痛综合征）提供有效的临床干预。
