A Nerve Cuff Electrode for Controlled Reshaping of Nerve Geometry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is the development of a nerve electrode that reorganizes nerve geometry slowly and controllably. The Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) can reshape the nerve into an elongated oval and provide selective stimulation. However, the rate of closure of this electrode is difficult to control. The Slowly Closing - FINE (SC-FINE) is designed with an opening height larger than the size of the nerve to accommodate initial swelling. The electrode closes slowly to reshape the nerve into the desired flat geometry. The SC-FINE is created by combining the reshaping properties of the FINE and the controllable degradation of Poly (DL lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA). Bonding 50/50 or 65/35 PLGA to a stretched FINE increased the opening heights (OH) on average from 0.1 mm to 1.66 ± 0.45 and 2.05 ± 0.55 mm respectively. The addition of the PLGA films controls the time course of closure over a period of 16 ± 1 days and 14 to 16 hours for the 50/50 and 65/35 SC-FINEs respectively in vitro. An in vivo chronic experiment using 50/50 SC-FINEs implanted in 28 rats with an average OH of 1.87 ± 0.34 mm show that the reshaping periods in vivo and in vitro are similar.