Human cerebral cortex neural prosthetic
First Claim
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1. A neural prosthetic device for a primary auditory cortex of a patient, comprising:
- a speech processor for receiving and processing audio information and for outputting processed electrical signals;
a mechanical support arranged in said primary auditory cortex supporting a plurality of electrical contacts, said mechanical support being arranged in said primary auditory cortex and each of said plurality of electrical contacts outputting electrical discharges corresponding to said processed electrical signals; and
electrical coupling means for electrically coupling said electrical contacts to said speech processor.
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Abstract
A neural prosthetic device for a primary auditory cortex of a patient includes a speech processor for receiving and processing audio information and for outputting processed electrical signals and a support arranged in said primary auditory cortex having a plurality of electrical contacts. The support is arranged in the patient'"'"'s primary auditory cortex and each of the plurality of electrical contacts independently outputs electrical discharges in accordance with the processed electrical signals. The plurality of electrical contacts are arranged to approximately tonotopically match the primary auditory cortex.
99 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A neural prosthetic device for a primary auditory cortex of a patient, comprising:
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a speech processor for receiving and processing audio information and for outputting processed electrical signals; a mechanical support arranged in said primary auditory cortex supporting a plurality of electrical contacts, said mechanical support being arranged in said primary auditory cortex and each of said plurality of electrical contacts outputting electrical discharges corresponding to said processed electrical signals; and electrical coupling means for electrically coupling said electrical contacts to said speech processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A neural prosthetic apparatus for a primary auditory cortex of a patient, comprising:
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a speech processor for receiving and processing audio information and for outputting processed electrical signals; a mechanical support tonotopically arranged along said primary auditory cortex supporting a plurality of electrical contacts approximately uniformly arranged along said mechanical support about 50 to 150 micrometers apart, each of said plurality of electrical contacts independently outputting electrical discharges corresponding to said processed electrical signals; and electrical coupling means for electrical coupling said electrical contacts to said speech processor. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. In a neural prosthetic device having a mechanical support for arrangement in a primary auditory cortex of a patient, a method of implanting the mechanical support, comprising the steps of:
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acquiring a 3 dimensional digital image of the patient'"'"'s brain and storing said 3 dimensional image in a memory of a computer; digitally subtracting data from said 3 dimensional digital image to yield a modified 3 dimensional digital image which shows the orientation of said primary auditory cortex in the patient'"'"'s brain; and inserting said mechanical support into said primary auditory cortex using said modified 3 dimensional digital image as a guide. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification