Intraspinal microstimulation: Techniques, perspectives and prospects for FES
The goals of this article are to bring together advances made in several laboratories, describe the perspectives of these laboratories and assess the prospects for using intraspinal functional electrical stimulation (FES) as a rehabilitative technique (see Chapters 2 and 3). Three lines of investigation are represented: a more basic research perspective drawing on work in frog and rat and two now long-standing efforts aimed at clinical applications, both using the cat. While we fully acknowledge the clinical and qualityof- life gains for the patient that are likely to arise from intraspinal FES applications to micturition, ventilation or autonomic control, our article focuses on control of limb motions, which we believe is probably the most taxing and difficult FES endeavor.
