The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $606,025 project grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to William Marsh Rice University to establish the feasibility and acquire key knowledge for building a lasting visual prosthesis using large-scale, ultraflexible electrodes to interface with the lateral geniculus nucleus (LGN) - the relay station between the retina and visual cortex. The goals are to: 1) examine the perceptual properties of phosphenes (perceived visual sensations) elicited by LGN microstimulation in non-human primates, 2) elucidate neural responses and downstream signaling of LGN stimulation in mice, and 3) optimize and determine the long-term stability of phosphene detection in non-human primates. This research aims to develop a revolutionary, high-resolution visual prosthesis that can restore unprecedented levels of sight for millions of people suffering from blindness.
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