Performance analysis for capacitive electrical neural interfaces

Abstract

Neural interfaces will pave the way for novel treatment methods for neural disorders, which are due to communication problems in nervous system. Such disorders include spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis. In this work, we present a novel neural stimulator, which will act as the transmitter part of a neural interface. We perform in detail physical analysis of such a device for the first time, considering the electrostatic and capacitive effects. We also establish the stimulation requirements of the post-synaptic neuron and support our findings with COMSOL simulations. This work will pave the way to the design of more efficient neural stimulators.