Patent ID: 7865246

Claim:
A method of controlling activation of at least one electrode of an implantable neurostimulation lead in a neurostimulation system, wherein the neurostimulation system includes an implantable neurostimulator and the implantable neurostimulation lead, the method comprising: supplying electrical power from a power source associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead; providing neurostimulation pulses from an electrical pulse generator associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead over at least two electrical conductors, wherein the at least two electrical conductors connect the electrical pulse generator to the implantable neuro stimulation lead; transmitting optically-coded information via a fiber optic cable from an opto-electric transducer associated with the implantable neurostimulation lead that specifies, at least in part, one or more electrodes of the implantable neurostimulation lead to which the neurostimulation pulses are directed; and coupling in the implantable neurostimulation lead, by an electrode-switching module, the neurostimulation pulses to the one or more electrodes based on the optically-coded information received via the fiber optic cable.