Journal
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Volume 60, Issue 6, Pages 1667-1676Publisher
IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC
DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2013.2241061
Keywords
Functional electrical stimulation; gelatin; mechanical properties; silicone elastomers; spinal cord injury
Categories
Funding
- Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We report the development of a surrogate spinal cord for evaluating the mechanical suitability of electrode arrays for intraspinal implants. The mechanical and interfacial properties of candidate materials (including silicone elastomers and gelatin hydrogels) for the surrogate cord were tested. The elastic modulus was characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis, and compared with values of actual human spinal cords from the literature. Forces required to indent the surrogate cords to specified depths were measured to obtain values under static conditions. Importantly, to quantify surface properties in addition to mechanical properties normally considered, interfacial frictional forces were measured by pulling a needle out of each cord at a controlled rate. The measured forces were then compared to those obtained from rat spinal cords. Formaldehyde-crosslinked gelatin, 12 wt% in water, was identified as the most suitable material for the construction of surrogate spinal cords. To demonstrate the utility of surrogate spinal cords in evaluating the behavior of various electrode arrays, cords were implanted with two types of intraspinal electrode arrays (one made of individual microwires and another of microwires anchored with a solid base), and cord deformation under elongation was evaluated. The results demonstrate that the surrogate model simulates the mechanical and interfacial properties of the spinal cord, and enables in vitro screening of intraspinal implants.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available