Robert Gaunt1, Sharlene N Flesher1, Jeffrey Weiss1, Jennifer Collinger1, Michael Boninger1
08:30 - 08:45 | Wed 12 Jul | Plonsey Room | WeAT9.3
Intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex offers the potential for creating a sensory neuroprosthesis to restore tactile sensations. We recently demonstrated that microstimulation within the hand area of somatosensory cortex of a person with long-term spinal cord injury evokes tactile sensations perceived as originating from various locations on his own hand. A key issue for developing a reliable neuroprosthesis using this approach is percept stability. Here we measure the number of electrodes that elicit responses during a standardized survey of electrode function over 20 months. We found that the number of electrodes that were detected and described increased significantly, suggesting that this approach might be viable for long-term sensory restoration.