Clinical research indicates that the epidural spinal cord stimulation (ESCS) has shown potential in promoting locomotor recovery in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI). This paper presents the development of a fully implantable voltage-regulated stimulator with bi-directional wireless communication for investigating underlying neural mechanisms of ESCS facilitating motor function improvement. The stimulation system consists of a computer, an external controller, an implantable pulse generator (IPG), a magnet, the extension leads and a stimulation electrode. The telemetry transmission between the IPG and the external controller is achieved by a commercially available transceiver chip with 2.4GHz carrier band. The magnet is used to activate the IPG only when necessary to minimize the power consumption. The encapsulated IPG measures 33mm×24mm×8mm, with a total mass of ∼12.6g. Feasibility experiments are conducted in three Sprague-Dawley rats to validate the function of the stimulator, and to investigate the relationship between lumbar-sacral ESCS and hindlimb electromyography (EMG) responses. The results show that the stimulation system provides an effective tool for investigation of ESCS application in motor function recovery in small animals.
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