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    APPENDIX IMP1 - PROMOTION OF HUMAN IMPLANTATION BY NIH

    THIS TEXT WAS COPIED FROM THE ORIGINAL NIH/CNCT WEB SITE AT THIS
    ADDRESS:

    http://www.engin.umich.edu/center/cnct/orgind.html

    Center for Neural Communication Technology Organization

    The NIH NCRR requires that its Centers have several basic components:
    internal research projects, collaborative research projects, and
    service to external investigators in the form of distribution and
    training.  The organization of the Center for Neural Communication
    Technology (CNCT) will be described here with links to more details
    on individual projects.

    The underlying goal for all of the work conducted by the CNCT is to
    make multichannel recording and stimulation devices available to
    researchers which will enable them to more efficiently communicate
    with the brain.  Micromachined electrodes offer the potential to
    extend small ensemble studies to tissue volume studies consisting of
    dozens if not hundreds of cells.

    Internal Research Projects

    There are three internal research projects under the Center which are
    designed to enhance the capability of the base technology:

    Project 1, Extensions of Micromachined Microelectrode Technology:

        Extend the basic structure of the device to include fluid
        carrying channels for delivery of fluids to tissue volume,
        and/or to lesion at recording/stimulation site locations.

    Project 2, Biological Neural Networks:

        Develop techniques for data acquisition from and analysis of
        neural circuits in the volume surrounding arrays of recording
        devices.  The direction which has been proposed for this project
        over the next grant period will be to study the relationships
        between the physical characteristics of the devices and the
        architecture of the neural tissue to rationalize the process of
        design and experimentally explore and model the deterioration of
        chronic implants over time to improve their behavior.  A recent
        poster presentation on data collected from the cochlear nucleus
        can be seen [on the original site.]

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