Cited by 28Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringPain Management and TreatmentRetinal Development and Disorders

Minimizing activation of overlying axons with epiretinal stimulation: the role of fiber orientation and electrode configuration

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Esler, Timothy B., Kerr, Robert R., Tahayori, Bahman, Grayden, David B., Meffin, Hamish, Burkitt, Anthony N.·2018·PLoS ONE

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Abstract

Currently, a challenge in electrical stimulation of the retina with a visual prosthesis (bionic eye) is to excite only the cells lying directly under the electrode in the ganglion cell layer, while avoiding excitation of axon bundles that pass over the surface of the retina in the nerve fiber layer. Stimulation of overlying axons results in irregular visual percepts, limiting perceptual efficacy. This research explores how differences in fiber orientation between the nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer leads to differences in the electrical activation of the axon initial segment and axons of passage. APPROACH: Axons of passage of retinal ganglion cells in the nerve fiber layer are characterized by a narrow distribution of fiber orientations, causing highly anisotropic spread of applied current. In contrast, proximal axons in the ganglion cell layer have a wider distribution of orientations. A four-layer computational model of epiretinal extracellular stimulation that captures the effect of neurite orientation in anisotropic tissue has been developed using a volume conductor model known as the cellular composite model. Simulations are conducted to investigate the interaction of neural tissue orientation, stimulating electrode configuration, and stimulation pulse duration and amplitude. MAIN RESULTS: Our model shows that simultaneous stimulation with multiple electrodes aligned with the nerve fiber layer can be used to achieve selective activation of axon initial segments rather than passing fibers. This result can be achieved while reducing required stimulus charge density and with only modest increases in the spread of activation in the ganglion cell layer, and is shown to extend to the general case of arbitrary electrode array positioning and arbitrary target volume. SIGNIFICANCE: These results elucidate a strategy for more targeted stimulation of retinal ganglion cells with experimentally-relevant multi-electrode geometries and achievable stimulation requirements.

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Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0193598

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  • The diversity of phosphene shapes is likely due to epiretinal stimulation activating both cell bodies beneath the electrode in the ganglion cell layer and axon bundles passing over the retinal surface in the nerve fiber layer toward the optic nerve.

    “It is likely that there are a variety of phosphene shapes because stimulating through an epiretinal electrode not only activates the cell bodies that are just beneath the electrode in the ganglion cell layer, but it also activates axon bundles that pass over the surface of the retina in the nerve fiber layer while en route to the optic nerve (Beyeler et al. 2019; Esler et al. 2018; Tahayori et al.”

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Authors
Esler, T. B., Kerr, R. R., Tahayori, B., Grayden, D. B., Meffin, H., & Burkitt, A. N.
Affiliations
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • Monash University (AU)
Corresponding author
  • Esler, Timothy B.
  • Kerr, Robert R.
  • Tahayori, Bahman
  • Grayden, David B.
  • Burkitt, Anthony N.
Venue
PLoS ONE
Published
2018-03-01
Volume
13
Issue
3
Pages
e0193598
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2951362833
Cited by
28
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 3
FWCI
1.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Australian Research Council (CE140100007, DP140104533)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (AU) (APP1106390)
  • Melbourne Bioinformatics (VR0138)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinal Development and Disorders
Keywords
epiretinal stimulation, retinal prosthesis, retinal nerve fiber layer, retinal ganglion cells, fiber orientation, tissue anisotropy, volume conductor model, electrode configuration, multi-electrode stimulation, axon initial segment, spreading activation
MeSH terms
Animals, Axons, Electric Stimulation, Humans, Mammals, Models, Neurological, Retinal Ganglion Cells, Anisotropy, Computational Biology, Visual Prosthesis

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