Gold screen for placement around high-count electrode arrays to reduce noise contamination from surrounding electrical signals.

Nervous system disorders represent one of the nation’s largest healthcare problems, afflicting more than 100 million people in the United States annually. Electrode arrays are emerging as premier neuroprosthetic interfaces for restoring sensory, motor, and other functions after nervous system damage or disease. While electrode arrays depend on action potentials to function properly, action potentials generated by nerves are relatively weak compared to surrounding physiological signals. This weakness obstructs clear array recording and stimulation.

University of Utah researchers have developed an electrically shielded containment system for high-count electrode arrays to combat signal contamination. This containment system consists of a gold screen that is connected electrically to ground and surrounds the array, reducing electrical noise contamination.

Benchtop Prototype

• Reduces electrical noise and electromyographic signals.
• Enhances electrode array function.
• Compatible with external wire and inter-array reference array systems.

Kagan, Z. B., Wendelken, S., Page, D. M., Davis, T., Hutchinson, D. T., Clark, G. A., & Warren, D. J. (2016). Linear methods for reducing EMG contamination in peripheral nerve motor decodes. 2016 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). doi:10.1109/embc.2016.7591463

Publication Number: US-2010-0161019-A1
Patent Title: System and Method for Electrically Shielding a Microelectrode Array in a Physiological Pathway from Electrical Noise
Jurisdiction/Country: United States
Application Type: Non-Provisional

Jonathan Tyler
801-587-0515
jonathan.tyler@utah.edu