An Implantable Wireless Optogenetic Stimulation System for Peripheral Nerve Control

Abstract

An implantable wireless optogenetic stimulation system with an LED-based optical stimulation cuff electrode was developed for peripheral nerve control. The proposed system consisted of a battery-powered optical cuff electrode, optical stimulation controller, and wireless communication system. The optical cuff electrode had a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure was designed to illuminate the entire sciatic nerve. The wireless communication system was designed to comply with medical implant communication service (MICS) regulations. To evaluate the proposed system, optogenetic stimulation was performed in optogenetic transgenic mice (Thy1::ChR2). The optical cuff electrode was implanted on the sciatic nerve, and movement was elicited during optical stimulation. The experimental results show that ankle movement can be generated wirelessly using optical stimulation pulse parameters.