Simulating electrical stimulation of degenerative retinal ganglion cells with bi-phasic pulse trains

The aim of this work was to investigate how retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) respond to repetitive electrical stimulation in degenerative retina. The response of modeled ON and OFF cells was examined to bi-phasic pulse train stimulation of varying frequencies. Previously developed models of RGCs were extended to include an experimentally observable balance of excitatory and inhibitory currents in degenerative retina. The phenomena of fading and dark phosphenes with retinal implants were investigated. A hypothesis for a mechanism contributing to these phenomena was formulated.