JP2012075670A - Cuff electrode - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cuff electrode that can easily embed nerves in spite of being small without pressing the nerves so as to hardly come off.SOLUTION: The cuff electrode 100 of substantially cylindrical shape includes, in the surface, a penetrating slit 111 oblique to an axis, and embeds the nerves into the cylindrical body 101. The slit 111 is formed in crest shape to form a tongue piece 113, and the nerves can be embedded from the tongue piece 113.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cuff electrode, and more particularly to a cuff electrode that can easily hold a nerve and is not easily removed.

  The cuff electrode is a tube-shaped implanted electrode for recording peripheral nerve activities and electrical stimulation in animal experiments. Specifically, a metal wire such as a platinum wire is placed on the inner surface of a non-conductive tube such as silicon, and is wrapped so as to hold a nerve, and this metal wire is brought into contact with the nerve for recording or stimulation.

  The cuff electrode is vertically cut on the surface along the axis of the tube, from which the nerve is implanted and the string-like nerve is held.

However, the conventional technique has the following problems.
In the conventional cuff electrode, the width of the cut is narrowed in order to prevent the nerve from jumping out. However, the cuff electrode is often based on a relatively thick silicon tube because of its structure, and pushing a nerve tissue that is extremely vulnerable to compression through a narrow cut may damage the nerve. There was a problem.

  On the other hand, if the width of the cut was widened, there was a problem that the nerve jumped out of the cut, such as when observing for a long period of time or changing the body position.

  In addition, there is a method in which a wide incision is made and the nerve is implanted, and then the incision is sutured with a thread. However, in small animals such as mice and rats, the nerve is also thin and may be work under a microscope. There is a problem that it is not always easy to wear.

Special table 2006-521861

Yoshio Uchino et al. "Surgery and Experimental Methods for Cats" Nissay Magazine Vol.63, No.10 2001 pp271-316

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cuff electrode that can be easily embedded even if it is small without pressing a nerve and is difficult to come off.

  The cuff electrode according to claim 1 is substantially cylindrical, and is characterized in that a slit formed obliquely with respect to the axis is provided on the surface so that nerves can be embedded in the cylinder.

  That is, in the invention according to claim 1, even if the nerve tries to move in the radial direction (outside with respect to the axis), as a result of the fact that the inner surface of the cylinder effectively interferes, the slit width can be made relatively wide and the nerve is compressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a cuff electrode that can be easily embedded without being easily detached.

  The cylindrical shape can be variously changed according to the thickness of the target nerve. The material may be silicon for the cylindrical portion and platinum for the electrode portion, but is not limited thereto. Further, the slit width can be set to a thickness that does not overstress the nerve during the embedding operation, for example, a thickness about the nerve. A part of the slit may be slanted, or may be slanted from one end to the other end. In addition, when it is a linear slit diagonally on a surrounding surface, a slit will draw a spiral.

  A cuff electrode according to a second aspect is characterized in that, in the cuff electrode according to the first aspect, the slit has a mountain-shaped curve to form at least one tongue piece.

  That is, the invention according to claim 2 can effectively suppress the jumping out of the nerve. In addition, it is possible to simply embed it by hooking a nerve with a tongue piece. The mountain curve is not limited to one mountain, and may be S-shaped, V-shaped, or W-shaped. Therefore, the shape of the tongue piece is not limited to a semicircular shape, and may be a trapezoidal shape as well as a mountain shape.

  The cuff electrode according to claim 3 is the cuff electrode according to claim 2, wherein one tongue piece is formed, and the electrode lead wire is extended from a cylindrical peripheral surface in the extending direction of the tongue piece. And

  That is, in the invention according to claim 3, it becomes easy to hold the cuff electrode by pinching the lead wire portion, and the nerve can be easily embedded in the cylinder via the tongue piece or the slit gap.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cuff electrode that can be easily embedded even if it is small without pressing a nerve and is difficult to come off.

It is the schematic which showed one Embodiment of the cuff electrode of this invention. It is the figure which showed the other structural example of the cylindrical body of a cuff electrode.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the cuff electrode of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the cuff electrode 100 includes a substantially cylindrical body 101 and an electrode 102.

  As shown in the figure, the cylindrical body 101 is provided with a slit 111 so that nerves can be introduced into the cylindrical body 101. The slit 111 is a cut parallel to the cylindrical axis from the left and right end portions 112 to about ３ of the cylinder length, and is formed into a notch that rises smoothly and symmetrically to the cylindrical axis and becomes a mountain. As a result, the tongue piece 113 is formed on the cylindrical body 101.

  The material of the cylindrical body 101 is not particularly limited, but if it is a silicon material, it is flexible and the embedding work is facilitated.

  Although the magnitude | size of the cylindrical body 101 is not specifically limited, For example, an internal diameter can be 0.5 mm-2 mm, an external shape can be 0.8 mm-3.0 mm, and cylinder length can be 4 mm-15 mm.

  The electrode 102 is disposed so as to be exposed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 101 (not shown), and is extended to the outside of the cylindrical body 101 and joined to the conducting wire 121. In addition, the metal part including the conducting wire 121 and the cylindrical body 101 outside shall be appropriately coated. Further, the conducting wire 121 is extended outside from the cylindrical body 101 portion facing the tongue piece 113 with the slit 111 interposed therebetween. That is, the tongue piece 113 is extended from the cylindrical side periphery in the extending direction. As a result, the retainability is enhanced and the nerve can be easily inserted. In addition, you may make it extend the conducting wire 121 from the tongue piece 113 with the aspect of use.

  As a material for the electrode 102, platinum, silver, gold, copper, nichrome wire, or the like can be used, and a material having low reactivity with a body fluid or the like is preferable. The conducting wire 121 may be made of the same material as the electrode 102. In the present embodiment, the electrode 102 and the conductive wire 121 are paired, but the number can be adjusted as necessary. If there are two, recording and stimulation are possible, and if there are four to five, stimulation and recording can be performed simultaneously.

  In order to embed and hold a nerve tissue in the cylindrical body 101, first, the cuff electrode 100 is placed along the target nerve, and then the lead 121 is provided. Embedding is sequentially completed along the slit 111 so that the nerve is applied from the end of the slit 111 while controlling the posture of 100. In the case of a relatively thick silicon material, the tongue piece 113 cannot be turned up, but in the case of a flexible material, the tongue piece can be lifted to embed nerves.

  As described above, the nerve can be easily held inside the cuff electrode 100 via the tongue piece 113. On the contrary, since the tongue piece 113 interferes, the nerve is prevented from jumping out (the cuff electrode 100 is detached from the nerve).

  The shape of the slit 111 is not limited to that shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another form of the cylindrical body 101. 2A is an S-shaped slit, FIG. 2B is a corrugated slit, FIG. 2C is a V-shaped slit, FIG. 2D is a zigzag slit, and FIG. 2E is a rectangular shape. A slit is shown. Since the nerve is linear, if the slit is inclined to the cylindrical axis, it is possible to provide a cuff electrode that is easy to embed and does not easily come off. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2 (f), if the tongue piece has a shape that expands in the extending direction, the nerve becomes more difficult to come off. Moreover, as shown in FIG.2 (g), it can also be set as the spiral shape which makes a slit linear and it circulates on a cylindrical surface.

  By using cuff electrodes, it can be used as a basis for therapeutic research as well as electrical stimulation.

100 Cuff electrode 101 Cylindrical body 102 Electrode 111 Slit 112 End 113 Tongue piece 121 Conductor

Claims (3)

  A cuff electrode having a substantially cylindrical shape and provided with slits formed obliquely with respect to an axis on a surface thereof so that nerves can be embedded in the cylinder.   The cuff electrode according to claim 1, wherein the slit draws a mountain-shaped curve to form at least one tongue piece. The cuff electrode according to claim 2, wherein one tongue piece is formed, and the electrode conducting wire is extended from a cylindrical peripheral surface in the extending direction of the tongue piece.

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