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Although deep-brain stimulation (DBS) can be used to improve some of the severe symptoms of Parkinson's disease (e.g., Bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremors), the mechanisms by which the symptoms are eliminated are not well understood. Moreover, DBS does not prevent neurodegeneration that leads to dementia or death. In order to fully investigate DBS and to optimize its use, a comprehensive long-term stimulation study in an animal model is needed. However, since the brain region that must be stimulated, known as the subthalamic nucleus (STN), is extremely small (500 [micro]m x 500 [micro]m x 1 mm) and deep within the rat brain (10 mm), the stimulating probe must have geometric and mechanical properties that allow accurate positioning in the brain, while minimizing tissue damage. We have designed, fabricated, and tested a novel micromachined probe that is able to accurately stimulate the STN. The probe is designed to minimize damage to the surrounding tissue. The probe shank is coated with gold and the electrode interconnects are insulated with silicon nitride for biocompatibility. The probe has four platinum electrodes to provide a variety of spatially distributed stimuli, and is formed in a novel 3-D plating process that results in a microwire like geometry (i.e., smoothly tapering diameter) with a corresponding mechanically stable shank. Index Terms--Deep brain stimulation, electroplated 3-D shapes, microelectrode, neural stimulation.

Judy and Motta developed a customizable electrodeposition process for fabrication of very small metal structures on a substrate. In this process, layers of metal of various shapes are placed on the substrate, then the substrate is inserted in an electroplating solution. Some of the metal layers have power applied to them, while the rest of the metal layers are not connected to the power initially. Metal ions in the plating solution start depositing on the powered layers and a surface grows from the powered layers. As the surface grows, it will touch metal layers that were initially unpowered, causing them to become powered and to start growing with the rest of the surface. The metal layers on the substrate are known as seed layer patterns, and different seed layer patterns can produce different shapes. This paper presents a mathematical model, a forward simulation method, and an inverse problem solution for the growth of a surface from a seed layer pattern. The model describes the surface evolution as uniform growth in the direction normal to the surface. This growth is simulated in two and three dimensions using the level set method. The inverse problem is to design a seed layer pattern that produces a desired surface shape. Some surface shapes are not attainable by any seed layer pattern. For smooth attainable shapes, we present a computational method that solves this inverse problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]