Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6269610 | Journal of Neuroscience Methods | 2011 | 4 Pages |
Direct current, DC, can be used to quickly and reversibly block activity in excitable tissue, or to quickly and reversibly increase or decrease the natural excitability of a neuronal population. However, the practical use of DC to control neuronal activity has been extremely limited due to the rapid tissue damage caused by its use. We show that a separated interface nerve electrode, SINE, is a much safer method to deliver DC to excitable tissue and may be valuable as a laboratory research tool or potentially for clinical treatment of disease.
⺠Delivery of direct current, DC, to nerves is a useful technique for blocking nerves and modulating excitability. ⺠We compare the effect of DC delivery using a traditional platinum electrode to a Separated Interface Nerve Electrode, SINE, on nerve health. ⺠DC delivery using a SINE was dramatically safer than DC delivery with a platinum electrode. ⺠DC delivery with a SINE did not result in any distinguishable nerve damage.