Local electrophysiological responses during the intracortical electrical microstimulation and phosphene perception: An approach in the context of cortical visual prostheses

FERNANDO DANIEL FARFÁN; FABRIZIO GRANI; CRISTINA SOTO-SANCHEZ; EDUARDO FERNANDEZ

San Juan

Congreso; XXIII Congreso Argentino de Bioingeniería y XII Jornadas de Ingeniería Clínica; 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Bioingeniería

Scientific evidence has shown over many years that electrical stimulation of the visual cortex induces the perception of points of light, called phosphenes. This finding established the physiological bases for the development of cortical visual prostheses for blind subjects. Currently, the technical procedures to optimize the stimulation intensity of these devices are of great interest. Here, we have studied the cortical responses elicited by electrical stimulation of the primary visual cortex and its relationship with phosphenes perception. The experimental protocol proposed here allowed us to determine that the cortical responses evoked during stimulation are more related to the phosphene perception than those obtained in the post-stimulation stage.