Electrode and Stimulation Parameters for a Thalamic Visual Prosthesis

Abstract

Introduction Our long term goal is to develop a visual prosthesis which interfaces with the thalamic visual center of the brain to restore vision to patients who have lost sight through glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness for which no satisfactory medical treatment exists. Glaucoma is a group of neurodegenerative disorders that affects the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer of the eye in 60 million people worldwide [1] and is a disease especially prevalent among peoples of the Gulf region. RGCs link the early visual signal processing of the eye with subsequent visual processing centers of the brain. Of these structures, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) located in the thalamus is the primary target for RGC signals. Many groups are seeking to combat vision loss through use of prostheses; currently, two retinal prostheses are approved clinical devices. Because these retinal prostheses require intact RGCs, they have merit for patients with diseases like age–related macular degeneration (AMD) and retin...