Tyler, Dustin, Ph.D.

Research Statement

My research interests are in the areas of neural interfacing and neural prostheses. The neural interface is the interface between man and machine. It presents significant challenges in the development of advanced devices to restore function in neurologically impaired patients.

My research activities in neural interfacing include:

Peripheral nerve electrodes for upper and lower extremity neural prostheses.
Development of cortical electrodes, particularly examining novel materials and methods of insertion for maximal integration with cortical tissue.

My neural prostheses interests are in stimulation of the larynx. The larynx is an intricate and complicated organ responsible for many functions, ranging from protection of the airway to production of voice. My research activities include:

A neural prosthesis for prevention of aspiration in post-stroke patients.
Neural prostheses for production of voice.

My fundamental research tools include animal experimentation, clinical studies, histology and immuno-histochemistry and computer modeling and simulation.

Professional Affiliations

Investigator, Cleveland FES Center
Associate Director, Cleveland Advanced Platform Technology Center; and Biomedical Engineer,
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Bioscientific Staff, Department of Orthopaedics,
MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

Publications (Select)

Schiefer MA, Tyler DJ, Triolo RJ. Probabilistic modeling of selective stimulation of the human sciatic nerve with a flat interface nerve electrode. J Comput Neurosci. 2012 Jan 6. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22222951; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3357453.
Schiefer MA, Tyler DJ, Triolo RJ. Probabilistic modeling of selective stimulation of the human sciatic nerve with a flat Interface Nerve Electrode.Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2011;2011:4068-71. PubMed PMID: 22255234.
Fisher LE, Anderson JS, Tyler DJ, Triolo RJ. Optimization of stimulus parameters for selective peripheral nerve stimulation with multi-contact electrodes. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2011;2011:3039-42. PubMed PMID: 22254980.
Harris JP, Capadona JR, Miller RH, Healy BC, Shanmuganathan K, Rowan SJ, Weder C, Tyler DJ. Mechanically adaptive intracortical implants improve the proximity of neuronal cell bodies. J Neural Eng. 2011 Dec;8(6):066011. Epub 2011 Nov 2. PubMed PMID: 22049097; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3386315.
Harris JP, Hess AE, Rowan SJ, Weder C, Zorman CA, Tyler DJ, Capadona JR. In vivo deployment of mechanically adaptive nanocomposites for intracortical microelectrodes. J Neural Eng. 2011 Aug;8(4):046010. Epub 2011 Jun 8. PubMed PMID: 21654037.
Broniatowski M, Moore NZ, Grundfest-Broniatowski S, Tucker HM, Lancaster E, Krival K, Hadley AJ, Tyler DJ. Paced glottic closure for controlling aspiration pneumonia in patients with neurologic deficits of various causes. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2010 Mar;119(3):141-9. PubMed PMID: 20392026.
Schiefer MA, Polasek KH, Triolo RJ, Pinault GC, Tyler DJ. Selective stimulation of the human femoral nerve with a flat interface nerve electrode. J Neural Eng. 2010 Apr;7(2):26006. Epub 2010 Mar 8. PubMed PMID: 20208125; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2915830.

Research Programs

Evaluation of BION for Stroke Swallowing
Development of FES for Stroke Swallowing
Development of Cuff Electrodes
Technology Development for OSA

Contact Information