Renoir R-1850 Infrared Neural Stimulator

Lockheed Martin Laser and Sensor Systems

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Laser technology developer Aculight Corp. said its new Renoir R-1850 -- the company's debut product for the medical research market since it enhanced its medical manufacturing capabilities last year -- is the first infrared neural stimulator (INS).

The Renoir R-1850 INS is a fiber-coupled laser that generates pulsed mid-infrared light from a compact package. It is the result of a joint development effort with Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.) to produce a compact, low-cost, optical neural stimulator. Aculight said it provides researchers with a new level of precision and control in nerve stimulation for applications from identifying nerve root functionality to nerve conduction studies.

Mark Bendett, Aculight’s director of medical projects, said, “Thanks to protocols and methods developed at Vanderbilt, we know that optical neural stimulation provides some key advantages over standard electrical stimulation. Optical stimulation eliminates the electrical artifact that plagues electrical stimulation. It offers much greater spatial specificity, and it avoids any cell damage that may result from physical contact with a metal electrode. Renoir R-1850 provides researchers with capabilities that are unavailable from electrical methods, all from an easy-to-use instrument.”

Neuroscientists use nerve stimulation to answer fundamental questions about the function of the nervous system and to research diseases such as multiple schlerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Neural stimulation is also used in clinical applications such as guidance during surgical resection, treatment of chronic conditions such as pain and depression and the reduction of Parkinson’s-disease tremors. For decades, interfacing with the neural system has been based on electrical stimulation.

Renoir R-1850 features user-selectable pulse repetition rate, pulse energy and pulse width. Its fiber optic interface allows flexible delivery of light onto a target. Measuring just 12.5 x 12.25 x 4.57 inches, it is ideal in laboratory settings where space is at a premium, Aculight said.

For more information, visit: www.aculight.com; e-mail: [email protected]

Aculight Corp.
11805 North Creek Parkway S
Suite 113
Phone: (425) 482-1100
Fax: (425) 482-1101

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Published: September 2006