Ferreira, BeatrizCavalcanti, Leila2015-07-082021-09-292015-07-082021-09-292015-06-18https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/40416Scientific efforts have been dedicated to finding patterns of neuronal activity with potential applications in rehabilitation. Still with no clinical approach, sensory restore in prostheses is the field that motivates this work. The Center for Implantable Devices (CID), at Purdue University, where this work has been conceived, is a laboratory with several researches in brain-machine interfaces and neural prostheses. The emerging project at this center for investigating tactile rehabilitation leaded us to create an experimental methodology to make this study possible. This work presents the procedures involved in using animal model (Long-Evans rats), in cuff electrodes fabrication, as well as in all the necessary instrumentation, including the Autonomous Neural Control software, signed by the CID. The proposed methodology is based on sensorial mechanic stimulation, using von Frey filaments; on electrical microstimulation of peripheral nerves; and on nerve electric-physiological recording while the stimuli are performed. The proposed procedures were approved by the Purdue Animal Care and Use Committee and one preliminary experiment has been performed. From all fabricated electrodes, 72.5% and 92% passed in the mechanical and electrical quality tests, respectively. The median nerve recordings while 98mN were applied as tactile stimulus, have highlighted peculiarities of the compound action potentials observed in 37% of the collected signals when trials were done to elicit responses from the nerve. Results indicate that this methodology can be utilized in other studies with association between tactile stimulation and patterns of peripheral nerves responses, supporting the understanding and the development of bidirectional prostheses.Neurociência. Reabilitação sensorial. Registro eletrofisiológico. Microestimulação elétrica. 
Neuroscience. Sensorial rehabilitation. Electric-physiological recording. Electrical microstimulation.bachelorThesis