Simultaneous activation of multiple vestibular pathways upon electrical stimulation of semicircular canal afferents.

Background And Purpose: Vestibular implants seem to be a promising treatment for patients suffering from severe bilateral vestibulopathy. To optimize outcomes, we need to investigate how, and to which extent, the different vestibular pathways are activated. Here we characterized the simultaneous responses to electrical stimuli of three different vestibular pathways.

Influence of systematic variations of the stimulation profile on responses evoked with a vestibular implant prototype in humans.

Objective: To explore the impact of different electrical stimulation profiles in human recipients of the Geneva-Maastricht vestibular implant prototypes.

Approach: Four implanted patients were recruited for this study. We investigated the relative efficacy of systematic variations of the electrical stimulus profile (phase duration, pulse rate, baseline level, modulation depth) in evoking vestibulo-ocular (eVOR) and perceptual responses.

Cervical myogenic potentials and controlled postural responses elicited by a prototype vestibular implant.

Gaze stabilization and postural control are two key functions of the vestibular system. In consequence, oscillopsia and chronic imbalance are the two main complaints of patients presenting with a severe bilateral vestibular function loss. The vestibular implant is emerging as a promising treatment for this group of patients whose quality of life is significantly impaired.

Reliability of parylene-based multi-electrode arrays chronically implanted in adult rat brains, and evidence of electrical stimulation on contact impedance.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term behavior of the surface electrode through electrochemical characterization and follow-up of implanted parylene/platinum microelectrodes.

Approach: To this aim, we designed and manufactured specific planar electrodes for cortical implantation for a rat model. This work was included in the INTENSE project, one of the goals of which was to prove the feasibility of selective neural recording or stimulation with cuff electrodes around the vagus nerve.

Evaluation of chronically implanted subdural boron doped diamond/CNT recording electrodes in miniature swine brain.

When implantable recording devices for brain or neural electrical activity are designed, the number of available materials for electrodes is quite limited. The material must be biocompatible with respect to ISO10993, its electrochemical properties must remain stable and the response of cells or tissues can be mitigated, especially on the glial scar. This involves electrode characterization pre- implantation and impedance spectroscopy during chronic implantation, in order to evaluate both electrode properties and performance.

Intracranial application of near-infrared light in a hemi-parkinsonian rat model: the impact on behavior and cell survival.

OBJECT The authors of this study used a newly developed intracranial optical fiber device to deliver near-infrared light (NIr) to the midbrain of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, a model of Parkinson's disease. The authors explored whether NIr had any impact on apomorphine-induced turning behavior and whether it was neuroprotective. METHODS Two NIr powers (333 nW and 0.