ABSTRACT
This thesis deals with the description, in mathematical terms, of those phenomena occurring when a group of nerve fibres is artificially stimulated by an electric current delivered by an electrode in the biological tissues. The work is divided in four parts.
Part I is intended to be introductory and to provide for the reader the basic concepts to understand the original personal contributions, which are collected in the rest of the work.
Part II hinges on the problem of electric field distribution within the nerve and is oriented to the study of cuff electrode
design. Although these studies are general modelling tools, they are historically inscribed in the preliminary phase of the MiViP (Microsystems based Visual Prosthesis) project, which aims to the rehabilitation of vision in the blind, via optic nerve stimulation. In this framework, it was necessary to decide the kind of electrode to be implanted and such choice had to be supported also by modelling results.
Part III treats more specific modelling related to optic nerve stimulation. After electrode implantation on the volunteer, preliminary experimental data appeared inconsistent with model predictions. It turned out that the core of the problem was the description of ionic channels in the axons membrane.
Finally, Part IV discusses further modelling work issues.
