• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.651-656
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• 2011

Although prosthetic training was received, most of amputees mainly depend on visual feedback to use prostheses, not on cutaneous and proprioceptive sensibility. Our objective of this study was to determine if there are changes in the somatosensory sensibility of amputees compared to non-amputees using multi-channel vibration stimulation system. One transradial amputees and ten non-amputees were involved. To investigate changes of residual somatosensory sensibility at stump, we set up custom-made vibration stimulation system including eight actuators (4 medial and 4 lateral) and GUI-based acquisition system. The results showed that there was similar pattern of subjective response at most of channels among group as stimulation increases. However, amputees' subjective response at channel 8 for 238Hz vibration was more sensitive than that of healthy persons. With respect to channels, response at channel 4 (medial) corresponding region to flexor carpi ulnaris for transradial amputees was most sensitive than other channels. In addition, sensitivity of four medial channels was on average about 0.5 scale than that of four lateral channels. Somatosensory sensibility was amputee, women, and men in sensibility order.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.177-181
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• 2013

It is known that ultrasound affects action potentials in neurons, but the underlying principles of ultrasonic neural stimulation are not clearly elucidated yet. In this study, we measured the action potentials of rat hippocampal neurons cultured on multi-electrode arrays during ultrasound stimulation. From most of electrodes, it was observed that the ultrasound stimulation increased the frequencies of action potentials (i.e., spikes) during ultrasound stimulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2011.06a
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• pp.1587-1588
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• 2011

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.139-144
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• 2001

자기 신경자극기는 신경의학, 재활의학을 포함한 많은 임상의학 분야에서 널리 쓰이고 있다. 자기 신경자극기는 전력소모가 크고 고압 전원이 필요한 이유 때문에 단채널 시스템만이 임상환경이나 연구환경에서 쓰여 왔었다. 본 논문에서는 4채널 자기 신경자극기 개발을 소개하였다. 고압 커패시터를 충전하는데 있어서 단계적 충전방식을 사용하여 작은 크기의 직류 전원장치로 다채널 시스템을 구현하였고, 채널별로 서로 다른 자극 프로토콜로 자극 코일을 구동할 수 있는 다채널 제어시스템을 구성하였다. 개발된 시스템은 신경계통 장애가 있는 환자들의 재활이나 자기적인 침술 등 다양한 기능적 자기 자극에 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.221-227
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• 2015

In this study, Multi-Array Electrodes (MAE) and Programmable Multi-channel Electrical Stimulator (PMES) were implemented for firing Trigger Points (TPs) of the patient with Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS). MAE has 25 Ag/AgCl electrodes arranged in the form of array ($5{\times}5$) fabricated with flexible pad, which are applicable to be easy-attached to curved specific region of the human body. PMES consisted of 25 channels. Each channel was to generate various electric stimulus patterns (ESPs) by changing the mono-phasic or bi-phasic of ESP, On/Off duration of ESP, the interval between ESP, and amplitude of ESP. PMES hardware was composed of Host PC, Stimulation Pattern Editing Program (SPEP), and Multi-channel Electrical Stimulator (MES). Experiments were performed using MAE and PMES as the following. First experiment was performed to evaluate the function for each channel of Sub- Micro Controller Unit (SMCU) in MES. Second experiment was conducted on whether ESP applied from each channel of SMCU in PMES was focused to the electrode set to the ground, after applying ESP being output from each channel of SMCU in PMES to MAE.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2017

We propose a novel multi-photodiode array (MPDA) based retinal implant IC with on/off stimulation strategy for a visual prosthesis with improved spatial resolution. An active pixel sensor combined with a comparator enables generation of biphasic current pulses when light intensity meets a threshold condition. The threshold is tuned by changing the discharging time of the active pixel sensor for various light intensity environments. A prototype of the 30-channel retinal implant IC was fabricated with a unit pixel area of $0.021mm^2$, and the stimulus level up to $354{\mu}A$ was measured with the threshold ranging from 400 lx to 13120 lx.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.195-200
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• 2004

The Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) with a click stimulation in guinea pigs was used to examine the auditory neuro-pathway from the cochlear nucleus to brain. Using multi-channel active electrodes, the 3-dimensional auditory pathway was examined from the cochlea to the inferior colliculus through the brainstem. These results are similar to the well-known neuro-pathway. This study on the multi-channel ABR shows that the positions of the ABR generators move to the central brain and the contralateral pathway. It is generally agreed that the ABR is generated by some structures along the auditory pathway. This study provides some information on the neuro-pathway where the ABR peak is generated.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.58-65
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• 2015

This paper presents the design of an implantable stimulation IC intended for neural prosthetic devices using $0.18-{\mu}m$ standard CMOS technology. The proposed single-channel biphasic current stimulator prototype is designed to deliver up to 1 mA of current to the tissue-equivalent $10-k{\Omega}$ load using 12.8-V supply voltage. To utilize only low-voltage standard CMOS transistors in the design, transistor stacking with dynamic gate biasing technique is used for reliable operation at high-voltage. In addition, active charge balancing circuit is used to maintain zero net charge at the stimulation site over the complete stimulation cycle. The area of the total stimulator IC consisting of DAC, current stimulation output driver, level-shifters, digital logic, and active charge balancer is $0.13mm^2$ and is suitable to be applied for multi-channel neural prosthetic devices.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.26-35
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• 2008

Objective : In the evaluation of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), most neurologists only see their patients during a limited period of their fluctuating 24-hour-a-day lives. This study aimed to assess the short-term outcome of STN stimulation for patients with advanced PD evaluated in a 24-hour monitoring unit for movement disorder (MUMD) using a prospective protocol. Methods : Forty-two patients with advanced PD consecutively treated with bilateral STN stimulation using multi-channel microelectrode recording were included in this study. All patients were evaluated using a 24-hour MUMD with a video recording/editing system and were evaluated with a prospective protocol of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn and Yahr Staging, Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living, levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), Short Form-36 Health Survey, and neuropsychological tests. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain were performed prior to and six months after surgery. Results : All patients were evaluated at three and six months after surgery. There was a rapid and significant improvement of the motor symptoms, especially in tremor and rigidity, after STN stimulation with low morbidity. Dyskinesia was markedly decreased with much lowered LEDD values by 50% after STN stimulation. 1.5T MR images were safely taken according to the manufacturer's guidelines at six months after surgery without any adverse effects in 41 patients treated with STN stimulations. Conclusion : Evaluations in a 24-hour monitoring unit could reduce the dose of medication efficiently to an optimal level with patients' comfort and improve the clinical symptoms in harmony with STN stimulation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.711-716
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the modulation method affects the effectiveness of eliciting tactile sensations by electrical stimulation. Two methods were employed and the results were compared and analyzed; pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and pulse width modulation (PWM). Thirty-five healthy subjects participated in the experiments to measure the stimulation intensity that began to elicit a tactile sensation - activation threshold (AT). Constant-current monophasic rectangular pulse trains were employed, and the stimulation intensity was varied from zero until the subject felt any uncomfortable sensation. The step size of the stimulation intensity was 100nC/pulse. After each experiment, the subject described the sensation both quantitatively and qualitatively. The two modulation methods did not make a significant difference as far as the AT values were concerned, but most of the subjects showed 'intra-individual' consistency. Also, it was confirmed that our range of the stimulation parameters enabled us to obtain three major tactile sensations; tickling, pressure and vibration. The results suggested that the stimulation parameters and the modulation type should be selected for each individual and that selective electrical stimulation of the mechanoreceptors needs more diversified researches on the electrode design, multi-channel stimulation protocol, waveforms of the pulse train, etc.