| Description |
Several neural interfaces have been designed in order to improve access to peripheral nerve fibers and more accurately monitor or evoke various functions. Currently, such devices are more successful in larger nerves, but are limited in potential applications involving smaller target nerves. For example, the restoration of micturition (urination) to spinal cord injured patients requires the ability to monitor the changes in bladder pressure, to gauge bladder fullness as well as detect hyper-reflexive contractions. The pudendal nerve has been shown to be an appropriate site for monitoring bladder status. However, its small diameter, particularly in animal models, and the need for multiple access points required the development and fabrication of a novel high density electrode array. The research presented here describes the validation of such a device in small diameter nerve applications, as well as its use in the pudendal nerve to provide information about bladder pressure, showing the potential expansion of neural interfaces to new applications in both research and clinical fields. |
