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Abstract
An implantable system, that is part of a wireless body area network, is under development for a study monitoring of neural activity in rats with epilepsy. The study will continue over a nine month period to collect data for epilepsy research. This implantable system is part of a wireless body area network (WBAN) that consists of the implant, a data link, and a base station. The implant contains an insulation layer, an antenna, electronic components, and a power supply. A grid of electrodes implanted into the rat will serve to relay brain signals through the electronics to the antenna. A microstrip antenna is designed to operate in the unlicensed 2.4GHz ISM band to facilitate the wireless data link in the WBAN. Because the implanted system is surrounded by conductive biological tissue, it must be encapsulated in an insulating layer that shields the subject and the implant from each other. The dielectric properties of these tissues are modeled over time and frequency by a Cole-Cole model that is used in simulation software. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of these tissues is investigated, with respect to the input power of the antenna, to determine if the implant is safe to be used on a live subject. The communication system that captures the brain signals and digitizes them to be sent wirelessly over the data link for analysis at the base station is designed with off the shelf components.