Abstract
Electrical stimulation of the nervous system is commonly based on biphasic stimulation waveforms, which limits its relevance for some applications, such as selective stimulation. We propose in this paper a stimulator capable of delivering arbitrary waveforms to electrodes, and suitable for non-conventional stimulation strategies. Such a system enables in vivo stimulation protocols with optimized efficacy or energy efficiency. The designed system comprises a High Voltage CMOS ASIC generating a configurable stimulating current, driven by a digital circuitry implemented on a FPGA. After fabrication, the ASIC and system were characterized and tested; they successfully generated programmable waveforms with a frequential content up to 1.2 MHz and a voltage compliance between [−17.9; +18.3] V. The system is not optimum when compared to single application stimulators, but no embedded stimulator in the literature offers an equivalent bandwidth which allows the wide range of stimulation paradigms, including high-frequency blocking stimulation. We consider that this stimulator will help test unconventional stimulation waveforms and can be used to generate proof-of-concept data before designing implantable and application-dedicated implantable stimulators.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
We propose a stimulator bringing together current sources in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip, and a dedicated digital architecture
Integral Nonlinearity (INL) and Differential Nonlinearity (DNL) are expressed in LSB = in LSB = 1 mA/256
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. A growing number of diseases and disabilities are treated using active implantable medical devices. Neuro-prostheses are based on electrical stimulation of the Peripheral or Central Nervous System (PNS or CNS) to enhance cognitive, motor, or sensory abilities.
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