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Somatosensory stimulation apparatus for rodent cages

Project Overview

Peripheral nerve injuries are common, debilitating and costly. Approximately 2.8%-5% of all trauma patients in the US sustain such an injury. Many peripheral nerve injuries are a result of amputations, which affect an estimated 185,000 people in the US each year. Prosthetics are continually improving, but a large issue that remains is the patient’s lack of tactile perception. Many researchers, including Dr. Aaron Dingle, are designing devices to solve this problem. The functional outcome of these devices can be assessed in humans by asking the patient questions, but this technique is not an option in animal models. Rats are commonly used as animal models as a precursor to human subject testing. In order to receive functional outcome data from rats, a healthy rat can be trained to respond in a certain way to a somatosensory stimulus. A peripheral nerve can then be surgically cut and the novel device implanted. The device can then be used to apply what should be recognized as the same somatosensory stimulus the rat was trained with. Observations on the percent of correct reactions can be used to determine success.

This project aims to design the somatosensory stimulation device used to train the rats. The device should be able to apply a graded stimulus to at least two limbs individually. The device will consist of a cage or cage insert as well as a microcontroller to control the stimulus grade.

Team Picture

Team members from left to right: Tim Lieb, Emmy Russell, Luke Dezellar
Team members from left to right: Tim Lieb, Emmy Russell, Luke Dezellar

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Contact Information

Team Members

  • Timothy Lieb - Team Leader & BPAG
  • Emily Russell - Communicator & BWIG
  • Luke Dezellar - BSAC

Advisor and Client

  • Mitchell Tyler - Advisor
  • Dr. Aaron Dingle - Client
  • Dr. Aaron Suminski - Alternate Contact

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