The Spatial Extent of Epiretinal Electrical Stimulation in the Healthy Mouse Retina

Autor: Zohreh Hosseinazdeh, Archana Jalligampala, Eberhart Zrenner, Daniel Lleweylln Rathbun
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Neurosignals, Vol 25, Iss 1, Pp 15-25 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1424-862X
1424-8638
00047945
DOI: 10.1159/000479459
Popis: Background/Aims: Retinal prostheses use electrical stimulation to restore functional vision to patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa. A key detail is the spatial pattern of ganglion cells activated by stimulation. Therefore, we characterized the spatial extent of network-mediated electrical activation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the epiretinal monopolar electrode configuration. Methods: Healthy mouse RGC activities were recorded with a micro-electrode array (MEA). The stimuli consisted of monophasic rectangular cathodic voltage pulses and cycling full-field light flashes. Results: Voltage tuning curves exhibited significant hysteresis, reflecting adaptation to electrical stimulation on the time scale of seconds. Responses decreased from 0 to 300 µm, and were also dependent on the strength of stimulation. Applying the Rayleigh criterion to the half-width at half-maximum of the electrical point spread function suggests a visual acuity limit of no better than 20/946. Threshold voltage showed only a modest increase across these distances. Conclusion: The existence of significant hysteresis requires that future investigations of electrical retinal stimulation control for such long-memory adaptation. The spread of electrical activation beyond 200 µm suggests that neighbouring electrodes in epiretinal implants based on indirect stimulation of RGCs may be indiscriminable at interelectrode spacings as large as 400 µm.
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