Multichannel Cuff Electrode Stimulation for Closed-Loop Muscle Flexion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for treating CNS injuries such as stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy are inadequate, as they lack selectivity, implantability, and closed-loop functionality, and require transcutaneous access for recharging and communication, limiting their effectiveness in restoring limb function.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop system using a multichannel cuff electrode (MCE) implanted around peripheral nerves, stimulated by an EMG signal to induce muscle flexion, with an external pulse generator for wireless power and control, allowing selective activation of nerve fascicles and minimizing transcutaneous access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a multi-cuff electrode system is used to stimulate peripheral nerves, then selectivity and implantability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode system is divided into multiple independent cuff electrodes that can be wrapped around different peripheral nerves. Each cuff contains multiple contact points that can be independently controlled, allowing selective stimulation of specific nerve fascicles. This segmentation enables precise control over which muscles are activated while keeping each individual cuff relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-point stimulation to distributed multi-contact stimulation around the peripheral nerve. By arranging multiple contact points circumferentially around the nerve and enabling independent control of each contact, the system achieves selectivity in a spatial dimension, allowing differentiation between adjacent nerve fascicles that would be impossible with single-point stimulation.
2Ease of operation
If transcutaneous access is used for recharging and communication, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of substance (invasiveness) increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary charging interface that can be either transcutaneous or implantable. This intermediary layer allows power and data transfer without requiring direct invasive access to the implant site. The system can use wireless inductive coupling through the skin or a minimally invasive port, serving as a mediator between the external world and the implanted device, thereby reducing the need for repeated invasive procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The implantable pulse generator incorporates an internal battery that can be recharged through the implantable component, allowing the device to service itself without requiring external intervention for power replenishment. This self-service capability reduces the frequency and invasiveness of charging operations, improving patient quality of life while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If extensive rehabilitation is provided, then functional improvement is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by automatically detecting muscle activation patterns and delivering targeted nerve stimulation before the patient completes the full rehabilitation protocol. The closed-loop system provides real-time feedback and adaptive stimulation that accelerates the rehabilitation process, achieving functional improvements more quickly than traditional methods while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The closed-loop system continuously monitors muscle activation and movement outcomes, using this feedback to automatically adjust stimulation parameters in real-time. This feedback mechanism optimizes the rehabilitation process dynamically, ensuring that each stimulation cycle contributes maximally to functional recovery, thereby reducing the overall time required for rehabilitation while maintaining high reliability of improvement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively restores arm function in patients with CNS injuries by selectively stimulating peripheral nerves, providing dynamic movement and reducing the need for invasive recharging, thus improving rehabilitation outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
An implanted or external electromyography (EMG) electrode detects this signal
Implementation Method 2
stimulating a pulse generator connected to a multi-cuff electrode (MCE) or other electrode assembly that has been surgically implanted around one or more intact nerves
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for actuating a target muscle of a patient include an electromyography (EMG), a multichannel cuff electrode (MCE), and a pulse generator having both an external component and an implantable component. The EMG receives weak input from the target muscle upon flexion, and the MCE can be implanted on or in a motor nerve that innervates the target muscle. The pulse generator drives a current between two or more channels of the MCE to induce flexion of the target muscle.