Work

Electrical neurostimulation with imbalanced waveform mitigates dissolution of platinum electrodes

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Electrical neurostimulation has traditionally been limited to the use of charge-balanced waveforms. Charge-imbalanced and monophasic waveforms are not used to deliver clinical therapy, because it is believed that these stimulation paradigms may generate noxious electrochemical species that cause tissue damage. APPROACH: with current-controlled first phase, capacitive discharge second phase waveforms of both cathodic-first and anodic-first polarity. We monitored the concentration of platinum in solution under different stimulation delivery conditions including charge-balanced, charge-imbalanced, and monophasic pulses. MAIN RESULTS: We observed that platinum dissolution decreased during charge-imbalanced and monophasic stimulation when compared to charge-balanced waveforms. SIGNIFICANCE: This observation provides an opportunity to re-evaluate the charge-balanced waveform as the primary option for sustainable neural stimulation.

Source: Journal of Neural Engineering

DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/13/5/054001