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Rosenthal IA, Bashford L, Bjånes D, Pejsa K, Lee B, Liu C, Andersen RA. Visual context affects the perceived timing of tactile sensations elicited through intra-cortical microstimulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.13.593529. [PMID: 38798438 PMCID: PMC11118490 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.593529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Intra-cortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a technique to provide tactile sensations for a somatosensory brain-machine interface (BMI). A viable BMI must function within the rich, multisensory environment of the real world, but how ICMS is integrated with other sensory modalities is poorly understood. To investigate how ICMS percepts are integrated with visual information, ICMS and visual stimuli were delivered at varying times relative to one another. Both visual context and ICMS current amplitude were found to bias the qualitative experience of ICMS. In two tetraplegic participants, ICMS and visual stimuli were more likely to be experienced as occurring simultaneously when visual stimuli were more realistic, demonstrating an effect of visual context on the temporal binding window. The peak of the temporal binding window varied but was consistently offset from zero, suggesting that multisensory integration with ICMS can suffer from temporal misalignment. Recordings from primary somatosensory cortex (S1) during catch trials where visual stimuli were delivered without ICMS demonstrated that S1 represents visual information related to ICMS across visual contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle A Rosenthal
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- T&C Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Lead Contact
| | - Luke Bashford
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- T&C Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK
| | - David Bjånes
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- T&C Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Kelsie Pejsa
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- T&C Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Brian Lee
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Charles Liu
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA 90242, USA
| | - Richard A Andersen
- Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- T&C Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Dadarlat MC, Sun YJ, Stryker MP. Activity-dependent recruitment of inhibition and excitation in the awake mammalian cortex during electrical stimulation. Neuron 2024; 112:821-834.e4. [PMID: 38134920 PMCID: PMC10949925 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Electrical stimulation is an effective tool for mapping and altering brain connectivity, with applications ranging from treating pharmacology-resistant neurological disorders to providing sensory feedback for neural prostheses. Paramount to the success of these applications is the ability to manipulate electrical currents to precisely control evoked neural activity patterns. However, little is known about stimulation-evoked responses in inhibitory neurons nor how stimulation-evoked activity patterns depend on ongoing neural activity. In this study, we used 2-photon imaging and cell-type specific labeling to measure single-cell responses of excitatory and inhibitory neurons to electrical stimuli in the visual cortex of awake mice. Our data revealed strong interactions between electrical stimulation and pre-stimulus activity of single neurons in awake animals and distinct recruitment and response patterns for excitatory and inhibitory neurons. This work demonstrates the importance of cell-type-specific labeling of neurons in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Dadarlat
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
| | - Yujiao Jennifer Sun
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Michael P Stryker
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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Wu GK, Ardeshirpour Y, Mastracchio C, Kent J, Caiola M, Ye M. Amplitude- and frequency-dependent activation of layer II/III neurons by intracortical microstimulation. iScience 2023; 26:108140. [PMID: 37915592 PMCID: PMC10616374 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has been used for the development of brain machine interfaces. However, further understanding about the spatiotemporal responses of neurons to different electrical stimulation parameters is necessary to inform the design of optimal therapies. In this study, we employed in vivo electrophysiological recording, two-photon calcium imaging, and electric field simulation to evaluate the acute effect of ICMS on layer II/III neurons. Our results show that stimulation frequency non-linearly modulates neuronal responses, whereas the magnitude of responses is linearly correlated to the electric field strength and stimulation amplitude before reaching a steady state. Temporal dynamics of neurons' responses depends more on stimulation frequency and their distance to the stimulation electrode. In addition, amplitude-dependent post-stimulation suppression was observed within ∼500 μm of the stimulation electrode, as evidenced by both calcium imaging and local field potentials. These findings provide insights for selecting stimulation parameters to achieve desirable spatiotemporal specificity of ICMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangying K. Wu
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Yasaman Ardeshirpour
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Christina Mastracchio
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Jordan Kent
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
- Scientific Publications Department, Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC, USA
| | - Michael Caiola
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Meijun Ye
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
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Dadarlat MC, Canfield RA, Orsborn AL. Neural Plasticity in Sensorimotor Brain-Machine Interfaces. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2023; 25:51-76. [PMID: 36854262 PMCID: PMC10791144 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-110220-110833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) aim to treat sensorimotor neurological disorders by creating artificial motor and/or sensory pathways. Introducing artificial pathways creates new relationships between sensory input and motor output, which the brain must learn to gain dexterous control. This review highlights the role of learning in BMIs to restore movement and sensation, and discusses how BMI design may influence neural plasticity and performance. The close integration of plasticity in sensory and motor function influences the design of both artificial pathways and will be an essential consideration for bidirectional devices that restore both sensory and motor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Dadarlat
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA;
| | - Ryan A Canfield
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Amy L Orsborn
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Hughes C, Kozai T. Dynamic amplitude modulation of microstimulation evokes biomimetic onset and offset transients and reduces depression of evoked calcium responses in sensory cortices. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:939-965. [PMID: 37244370 PMCID: PMC10330928 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is an emerging approach to restore sensation to people with neurological injury or disease. Biomimetic microstimulation, or stimulus trains that mimic neural activity in the brain through encoding of onset and offset transients, could improve the utility of ICMS for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, but how biomimetic microstimulation affects neural activation is not understood. Current "biomimetic" ICMS trains aim to reproduce the strong onset and offset transients evoked in the brain by sensory input through dynamic modulation of stimulus parameters. Stimulus induced depression of neural activity (decreases in evoked intensity over time) is also a potential barrier to clinical implementation of sensory feedback, and dynamic microstimulation may reduce this effect. OBJECTIVE We evaluated how bio-inspired ICMS trains with dynamic modulation of amplitude and/or frequency change the calcium response, spatial distribution, and depression of neurons in the somatosensory and visual cortices. METHODS Calcium responses of neurons were measured in Layer 2/3 of visual and somatosensory cortices of anesthetized GCaMP6s mice in response to ICMS trains with fixed amplitude and frequency (Fixed) and three dynamic ICMS trains that increased the stimulation intensity during the onset and offset of stimulation by modulating the amplitude (DynAmp), frequency (DynFreq), or amplitude and frequency (DynBoth). ICMS was provided for either 1-s with 4-s breaks (Short) or for 30-s with 15-s breaks (Long). RESULTS DynAmp and DynBoth trains evoked distinct onset and offset transients in recruited neural populations, while DynFreq trains evoked population activity similar to Fixed trains. Individual neurons had heterogeneous responses primarily based on how quickly they depressed to ICMS, where neurons farther from the electrode depressed faster and a small subpopulation (1-5%) were modulated by DynFreq trains. Neurons that depressed to Short trains were also more likely to depress to Long trains, but Long trains induced more depression overall due to the increased stimulation length. Increasing the amplitude during the hold phase resulted in an increase in recruitment and intensity which resulted in more depression and reduced offset responses. Dynamic amplitude modulation reduced stimulation induced depression by 14.6 ± 0.3% for Short and 36.1 ± 0.6% for Long trains. Ideal observers were 0.031 ± 0.009 s faster for onset detection and 1.33 ± 0.21 s faster for offset detection with dynamic amplitude encoding. CONCLUSIONS Dynamic amplitude modulation evokes distinct onset and offset transients, reduces depression of neural calcium activity, and decreases total charge injection for sensory feedback in BCIs by lowering recruitment of neurons during long maintained periods of ICMS. In contrast, dynamic frequency modulation evokes distinct onset and offset transients in a small subpopulation of neurons but also reduces depression in recruited neurons by reducing the rate of activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, USA
| | - Takashi Kozai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, USA; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NeuroTech Center, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Bensmaia SJ, Tyler DJ, Micera S. Restoration of sensory information via bionic hands. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:443-455. [PMID: 33230305 PMCID: PMC10233657 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-020-00630-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Individuals who have lost the use of their hands because of amputation or spinal cord injury can use prosthetic hands to restore their independence. A dexterous prosthesis requires the acquisition of control signals that drive the movements of the robotic hand, and the transmission of sensory signals to convey information to the user about the consequences of these movements. In this Review, we describe non-invasive and invasive technologies for conveying artificial sensory feedback through bionic hands, and evaluate the technologies' long-term prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sliman J Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Dustin J Tyler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Silvestro Micera
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
- Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Yamashiro K, Ikegaya Y, Matsumoto N. In Utero Electroporation for Manipulation of Specific Neuronal Populations. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12050513. [PMID: 35629839 PMCID: PMC9147339 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12050513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The complexity of brain functions is supported by the heterogeneity of brain tissue and millisecond-scale information processing. Understanding how complex neural circuits control animal behavior requires the precise manipulation of specific neuronal subtypes at high spatiotemporal resolution. In utero electroporation, when combined with optogenetics, is a powerful method for precisely controlling the activity of specific neurons. Optogenetics allows for the control of cellular membrane potentials through light-sensitive ion channels artificially expressed in the plasma membrane of neurons. Here, we first review the basic mechanisms and characteristics of in utero electroporation. Then, we discuss recent applications of in utero electroporation combined with optogenetics to investigate the functions and characteristics of specific regions, layers, and cell types. These techniques will pave the way for further advances in understanding the complex neuronal and circuit mechanisms that underlie behavioral outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotaro Yamashiro
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; (K.Y.); (Y.I.)
| | - Yuji Ikegaya
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; (K.Y.); (Y.I.)
- Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Nobuyoshi Matsumoto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; (K.Y.); (Y.I.)
- Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Correspondence:
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Sombeck J, Heye J, Kumaravelu K, Goetz S, Peterchev AV, Grill WM, Bensmaia SJ, Miller LE. Characterizing the short-latency evoked response to intracortical microstimulation across a multi-electrode array. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35378515 PMCID: PMC9142773 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac63e8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Persons with tetraplegia can use brain-machine interfaces to make visually guided reaches with robotic arms. Without somatosensory feedback, these movements will likely be slow and imprecise, like those of persons who retain movement but have lost proprioception. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has promise for providing artificial somatosensory feedback. If ICMS can mimic naturally occurring neural activity, afferent interfaces may be more informative and easier to learn than interfaces that evoke unnaturalistic activity. To develop such biomimetic stimulation patterns, it is important to characterize the responses of neurons to ICMS. APPROACH Using a Utah multi-electrode array, we recorded activity evoked by single pulses and trains of ICMS at a wide range of amplitudes and frequencies in two rhesus macaques. As the electrical artifact caused by ICMS typically prevents recording for many milliseconds, we deployed a custom rapid-recovery amplifier with nonlinear gain to limit signal saturation on the stimulated electrode. Across all electrodes after stimulation, we removed the remaining slow return to baseline with acausal high-pass filtering of time-reversed recordings. MAIN RESULTS After single pulses of stimulation, we recorded what was likely transsynaptically-evoked activity even on the stimulated electrode as early as ~0.7 ms. This was immediately followed by suppressed neural activity lasting 10-150 ms. After trains, this long-lasting inhibition was replaced by increased firing rates for ~100 ms. During long trains, the evoked response on the stimulated electrode decayed rapidly while the response was maintained on non-stimulated channels. SIGNIFICANCE The detailed description of the spatial and temporal response to ICMS can be used to better interpret results from experiments that probe circuit connectivity or function of cortical areas. These results can also contribute to the design of stimulation patterns to improve afferent interfaces for artificial sensory feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Sombeck
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois, 60208, UNITED STATES
| | - Juliet Heye
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University, 310 E. Superior St, Chicago, Illinois, 60202, UNITED STATES
| | - Karthik Kumaravelu
- Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 2080 Duke University Road, Durham, North Carolina, 27708-0187, UNITED STATES
| | - Stefan Goetz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 2080 Duke University Road, Durham, North Carolina, 27708, UNITED STATES
| | - Angel V Peterchev
- Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham, North Carolina, 27710, UNITED STATES
| | - Warren M Grill
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Hudson Hall 136, Box 90281, Durham, North Carolina, 27708-0281, UNITED STATES
| | - Sliman J Bensmaia
- Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, UNITED STATES
| | - Lee E Miller
- Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 East Chicago Ave, Chicago, Illinois, 60611-3008, UNITED STATES
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Pandarinath C, Bensmaia SJ. The science and engineering behind sensitized brain-controlled bionic hands. Physiol Rev 2022; 102:551-604. [PMID: 34541898 PMCID: PMC8742729 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00034.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in our understanding of brain function, along with the development of neural interfaces that allow for the monitoring and activation of neurons, have paved the way for brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), which harness neural signals to reanimate the limbs via electrical activation of the muscles or to control extracorporeal devices, thereby bypassing the muscles and senses altogether. BMIs consist of reading out motor intent from the neuronal responses monitored in motor regions of the brain and executing intended movements with bionic limbs, reanimated limbs, or exoskeletons. BMIs also allow for the restoration of the sense of touch by electrically activating neurons in somatosensory regions of the brain, thereby evoking vivid tactile sensations and conveying feedback about object interactions. In this review, we discuss the neural mechanisms of motor control and somatosensation in able-bodied individuals and describe approaches to use neuronal responses as control signals for movement restoration and to activate residual sensory pathways to restore touch. Although the focus of the review is on intracortical approaches, we also describe alternative signal sources for control and noninvasive strategies for sensory restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chethan Pandarinath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sliman J Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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Zhang J, Hao M, Yang F, Liang W, Sun A, Chou CH, Lan N. Evaluation of multiple perceptual qualities of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for evoked tactile sensation in forearm amputees. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35320789 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac6062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evoked tactile sensation (ETS) elicited by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is promising to convey digit-specific sensory information to amputees naturally and non-invasively. Fitting ETS-based sensory feedback to amputees entails customizing coding of multiple sensory information for each stimulation site. This study was to elucidate the consistency of percepts and qualities by TENS at multiple stimulation sites in amputees retaining ETS. APPROACH Five transradial amputees with ETS and fourteen able-bodied subjects participated in this study. Surface electrodes with small size (10 mm in diameter) were adopted to fit the restricted projected finger map on the forearm stump of amputees. Effects of stimulus frequency on sensory types were assessed, and the map of perceptual threshold for each sensation was characterized. Sensitivity for vibration and buzz sensations was measured using distinguishable difference in stimulus pulse width. Rapid assessments for modulation ranges of pulse width at fixed amplitude and frequency were developed for coding sensory information. Buzz sensation was demonstrated for location discrimination relating to prosthetic fingers. MAIN RESULTS Vibration and buzz sensations were consistently evoked at 20 Hz and 50 Hz as dominant sensation types in all amputees and able-bodied subjects. Perceptual thresholds of different sensations followed a similar strength-duration curve relating stimulus amplitude to pulse width. The averaged distinguishable difference in pulse width was 12.84 ± 7.23 μs for vibration and 15.21 ± 6.47 μs for buzz in able-bodied subjects, and 14.91 ± 10.54 μs for vibration and 11.30 ± 3.42 μs for buzz in amputees. Buzz coding strategy enabled five amputees to discriminate contact of individual fingers with an overall accuracy of 77.85%. SIGNIFICANCE The consistency in perceptual qualities of dominant sensations can be exploited for coding multi-modality sensory feedback. A fast protocol of sensory coding is possible for fitting ETS-based, non-invasive sensory feedback to amputees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Laboratory of Neurorehabilitaiton Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 404 South Building Med-X, No.1954 Rd. Huashan, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200030, CHINA
| | - Manzhao Hao
- Laboratory of Neurorehabilitaiton Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 401 South Building Med-X, No.1954 Rd. Huashan, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200030, CHINA
| | - Fei Yang
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 404 South Building Med-X, No. 1954 Rd. Huashan, Xuhui, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200030, CHINA
| | - Wenyuan Liang
- National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, No.1 Rong Hua Zhong Road, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, Beijing, Beijing, 100176, CHINA
| | - Aiping Sun
- National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, No.1 Rong Hua Zhong Road, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area, Beijing, Beijing, 100176, CHINA
| | - Chi-Hong Chou
- Laboratory of Neurorehabilitaiton Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 401 South Building Med-X, No.1954 Rd. Huashan, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200030, CHINA
| | - Ning Lan
- Laboratory of Neurorehabilitaiton Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 405 South Building Med-X, No.1954 Rd. Huashan, Shanghai, Shanghai, 200030, CHINA
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11
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Graczyk EL, Christie BP, He Q, Tyler DJ, Bensmaia SJ. Frequency Shapes the Quality of Tactile Percepts Evoked through Electrical Stimulation of the Nerves. J Neurosci 2022; 42:2052-2064. [PMID: 35074865 PMCID: PMC8916769 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1494-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerves of human participants provides a unique opportunity to study the neural determinants of perceptual quality using a causal manipulation. A major challenge in the study of neural coding of touch has been to isolate the role of spike timing-at the scale of milliseconds or tens of milliseconds-in shaping the sensory experience. In the present study, we address this question by systematically varying the pulse frequency (PF) of electrical stimulation pulse trains delivered to the peripheral nerves of seven participants with upper and lower extremity limb loss via chronically implanted neural interfaces. We find that increases in PF lead to systematic increases in perceived frequency, up to ∼50 Hz, at which point further changes in PF have little to no impact on sensory quality. Above this transition frequency, ratings of perceived frequency level off, the ability to discriminate changes in PF is abolished, and verbal descriptors selected to characterize the sensation change abruptly. We conclude that sensation quality is shaped by temporal patterns of neural activation, even if these patterns are imposed on a fixed neural population, but this temporal patterning can only be resolved up to ∼50 Hz. These findings highlight the importance of spike timing in shaping the quality of a sensation and will contribute to the development of encoding strategies for conveying touch feedback through bionic hands and feet.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A major challenge in the study of neural coding of touch has been to understand how temporal patterns in neuronal responses shape the sensory experience. We address this question by varying the pulse frequency (PF) of electrical pulse trains delivered through implanted nerve interfaces in seven amputees. We concomitantly vary pulse width to separate the effect of changing PF on sensory quality from its effect on perceived magnitude. We find that increases in PF lead to increases in perceived frequency, a qualitative dimension, up to ∼50 Hz, beyond which changes in PF have little impact on quality. We conclude that temporal patterning in the neuronal response can shape quality and discuss the implications for restoring touch via neural interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Graczyk
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Breanne P Christie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
- Research and Exploratory Development Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20723
| | - Qinpu He
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Dustin J Tyler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Sliman J Bensmaia
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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12
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Stieger KC, Eles JR, Ludwig K, Kozai TDY. Intracortical microstimulation pulse waveform and frequency recruits distinct spatiotemporal patterns of cortical neuron and neuropil activation. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35263736 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac5bf5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neural prosthetics often use intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) for sensory restoration. To restore natural and functional feedback, we must first understand how stimulation parameters influence the recruitment of neural populations. ICMS waveform asymmetry modulates the spatial activation of neurons around an electrode at 10 Hz; however, it is unclear how asymmetry may differentially modulate population activity at frequencies typically employed in the clinic (e.g. 100 Hz). We hypothesized that stimulation waveform asymmetry would differentially modulate preferential activation of certain neural populations, and the differential population activity would be frequency-dependent. APPROACH We quantified how asymmetric stimulation waveforms delivered at 10 Hz or 100 Hz for 30s modulated spatiotemporal activity of cortical layer II/III pyramidal neurons using in vivo two-photon and mesoscale calcium imaging in anesthetized mice. Asymmetry is defined in terms of the ratio of the duration of the leading phase to the duration of the return phase of charge-balanced cathodal- and anodal-first waveforms (i.e. longer leading phase relative to return has larger asymmetry). MAIN RESULTS Neurons within 40-60µm of the electrode display stable stimulation-induced activity indicative of direct activation, which was independent of waveform asymmetry. The stability of 72% of activated neurons and the preferential activation of 20-90 % of neurons depended on waveform asymmetry. Additionally, this asymmetry-dependent activation of different neural populations was associated with differential progression of population activity. Specifically, neural activity tended to increase over time during 10 hz stimulation for some waveforms, whereas activity remained at the same level throughout stimulation for other waveforms. During 100 Hz stimulation, neural activity decreased over time for all waveforms, but decreased more for the waveforms that resulted in increasing neural activity during 10 Hz stimulation. SIGNIFICANCE These data demonstrate that at frequencies commonly used for sensory restoration, stimulation waveform alters the pattern of activation of different but overlapping populations of excitatory neurons. The impact of these waveform specific responses on the activation of different subtypes of neurons as well as sensory perception merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Stieger
- Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 300 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
| | - James Regis Eles
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 300 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
| | - Kip Ludwig
- Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, XXX, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, UNITED STATES
| | - Takashi D Yoshida Kozai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Fifth Ave, 5059-BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
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Fifer MS, McMullen DP, Osborn LE, Thomas TM, Christie B, Nickl RW, Candrea DN, Pohlmeyer EA, Thompson MC, Anaya MA, Schellekens W, Ramsey NF, Bensmaia SJ, Anderson WS, Wester BA, Crone NE, Celnik PA, Cantarero GL, Tenore FV. Intracortical Somatosensory Stimulation to Elicit Fingertip Sensations in an Individual With Spinal Cord Injury. Neurology 2022; 98:e679-e687. [PMID: 34880087 PMCID: PMC8865889 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000013173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The restoration of touch to fingers and fingertips is critical to achieving dexterous neuroprosthetic control for individuals with sensorimotor dysfunction. However, localized fingertip sensations have not been evoked via intracortical microstimulation (ICMS). METHODS Using a novel intraoperative mapping approach, we implanted electrode arrays in the finger areas of left and right somatosensory cortex and delivered ICMS over a 2-year period in a human participant with spinal cord injury. RESULTS Stimulation evoked tactile sensations in 8 fingers, including fingertips, spanning both hands. Evoked percepts followed expected somatotopic arrangements. The subject was able to reliably identify up to 7 finger-specific sites spanning both hands in a finger discrimination task. The size of the evoked percepts was on average 33% larger than a finger pad, as assessed via manual markings of a hand image. The size of the evoked percepts increased modestly with increased stimulation intensity, growing 21% as pulse amplitude increased from 20 to 80 µA. Detection thresholds were estimated on a subset of electrodes, with estimates of 9.2 to 35 µA observed, roughly consistent with prior studies. DISCUSSION These results suggest that ICMS can enable the delivery of consistent and localized fingertip sensations during object manipulation by neuroprostheses for individuals with somatosensory deficits. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER NCT03161067.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Fifer
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL.
| | - David P McMullen
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Luke E Osborn
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Tessy M Thomas
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Breanne Christie
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Robert W Nickl
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Daniel N Candrea
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Eric A Pohlmeyer
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Margaret C Thompson
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Manuel A Anaya
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Wouter Schellekens
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Nick F Ramsey
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Sliman J Bensmaia
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - William S Anderson
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Brock A Wester
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Nathan E Crone
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Pablo A Celnik
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Gabriela L Cantarero
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
| | - Francesco V Tenore
- From the Research and Exploratory Development Department (M.S.F., L.E.O., B.P.C., E.A.P., M.C.T., F.V.T.), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel; National Institute of Mental Health (D.P.M.), NIH, Bethesda; Department of Biomedical Engineering (T.M.T., D.N.C.), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (R.W.N., M.A.A., P.A.C., G.L.C.), Department of Neurosurgery (W.S.A.), and Department of Neurology (B.A.W., N.E.C.), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; UMC Utrecht Brain Center (W.S., N.F.R.), the Netherlands; and Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy (S.J.B.), University of Chicago, IL
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14
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Osborn LE, Christie BP, McMullen DP, Nickl RW, Thompson MC, Pawar AS, Thomas TM, Alejandro Anaya M, Crone NE, Wester BA, Bensmaia SJ, Celnik PA, Cantarero GL, Tenore FV, Fifer MS. Intracortical microstimulation of somatosensory cortex enables object identification through perceived sensations. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021; 2021:6259-6262. [PMID: 34892544 DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Advances in brain-machine interfaces have helped restore function and independence for individuals with sensorimotor deficits; however, providing efficient and effective sensory feedback remains challenging. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of sensorimotor brain regions is a promising technique for providing bioinspired sensory feedback. In a human participant with chronically-implanted microelectrode arrays, we provided ICMS to the primary somatosensory cortex to generate tactile percepts in his hand. In a 3-choice object identification task, the participant identified virtual objects using tactile sensory feedback and no visual information. We evaluated three different stimulation paradigms, each with a different weighting of the grip force and its derivative, to explore the potential benefits of a more bioinspired stimulation strategy. In all paradigms, the participant's ability to identify the objects was above-chance, with object identification accuracy reaching 80% correct when using only sustained grip force feedback and 76.7% when using equal weighting of both sustained grip force and its derivative. These results demonstrate that bioinspired ICMS can provide sensory feedback that is functionally beneficial in sensorimotor tasks. Designing more efficient stimulation paradigms is important because it will allow us to 1) provide safer stimulation delivery methods that reduce overall injected charge without sacrificing function and 2) more effectively transmit sensory information to promote intuitive integration and usage by the human body.
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15
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Shokur S, Mazzoni A, Schiavone G, Weber DJ, Micera S. A modular strategy for next-generation upper-limb sensory-motor neuroprostheses. MED 2021; 2:912-937. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2021.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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16
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Hughes CL, Flesher SN, Weiss JM, Boninger M, Collinger JL, Gaunt RA. Perception of microstimulation frequency in human somatosensory cortex. eLife 2021; 10:65128. [PMID: 34313221 PMCID: PMC8376245 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Microstimulation in the somatosensory cortex can evoke artificial tactile percepts and can be incorporated into bidirectional brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) to restore function after injury or disease. However, little is known about how stimulation parameters themselves affect perception. Here, we stimulated through microelectrode arrays implanted in the somatosensory cortex of two human participants with cervical spinal cord injury and varied the stimulus amplitude, frequency, and train duration. Increasing the amplitude and train duration increased the perceived intensity on all tested electrodes. Surprisingly, we found that increasing the frequency evoked more intense percepts on some electrodes but evoked less-intense percepts on other electrodes. These different frequency–intensity relationships were divided into three groups, which also evoked distinct percept qualities at different stimulus frequencies. Neighboring electrode sites were more likely to belong to the same group. These results support the idea that stimulation frequency directly controls tactile perception and that these different percepts may be related to the organization of somatosensory cortex, which will facilitate principled development of stimulation strategies for bidirectional BCIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L Hughes
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Sharlene N Flesher
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Jeffrey M Weiss
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Michael Boninger
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Center of Excellence, Department of Veterans Affairs, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Jennifer L Collinger
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Center of Excellence, Department of Veterans Affairs, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Robert A Gaunt
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
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17
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Garenfeld MA, Jorgovanovic N, Ilic V, Strbac M, Isakovic M, Dideriksen JL, Dosen S. A compact system for simultaneous stimulation and recording for closed-loop myoelectric control. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2021; 18:87. [PMID: 34034762 PMCID: PMC8146235 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-021-00877-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite important advancements in control and mechatronics of myoelectric prostheses, the communication between the user and his/her bionic limb is still unidirectional, as these systems do not provide somatosensory feedback. Electrotactile stimulation is an attractive technology to close the control loop since it allows flexible modulation of multiple parameters and compact interface design via multi-pad electrodes. However, the stimulation interferes with the recording of myoelectric signals and this can be detrimental to control. Methods We present a novel compact solution for simultaneous recording and stimulation through dynamic blanking of stimulation artefacts. To test the system, a feedback coding scheme communicating wrist rotation and hand aperture was developed specifically to stress the myoelectric control while still providing meaningful information to the subjects. Ten subjects participated in an experiment, where the quality of closed-loop myoelectric control was assessed by controlling a cursor in a two degrees of freedom target-reaching task. The benchmark performance with visual feedback was compared to that achieved by combining visual feedback and electrotactile stimulation as well as by using electrotactile feedback only. Results There was no significant difference in performance between visual and combined feedback condition with regards to successfully reached targets, time to reach a target, path efficiency and the number of overshoots. Therefore, the quality of myoelectric control was preserved in spite of the stimulation. As expected, the tactile condition was significantly poorer in completion rate (100/4% and 78/25% for combined and tactile condition, respectively) and time to reach a target (9/2 s and 13/4 s for combined and tactile condition, respectively). However, the performance in the tactile condition was still good, with no significant difference in path efficiency (38/8%) and the number of overshoots (0.5/0.4 overshoots), indicating that the stimulation was meaningful for the subjects and useful for closed-loop control. Conclusions Overall, the results demonstrated that the developed system can provide robust closed-loop control using electrotactile stimulation. The system supports different encoding schemes and allows placing the recording and stimulation electrodes next to each other. This is an important step towards an integrated solution where the developed unit will be embedded into a prosthetic socket.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Garenfeld
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Frederik Bajers Vej 7D, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
| | - Nikola Jorgovanovic
- Department of Computing and Control Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Vojin Ilic
- Department of Computing and Control Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Matija Strbac
- Tecnalia Serbia Ltd., Deligradska 9/39, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milica Isakovic
- Tecnalia Serbia Ltd., Deligradska 9/39, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jakob L Dideriksen
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Frederik Bajers Vej 7D, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark
| | - Strahinja Dosen
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Frederik Bajers Vej 7D, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
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Yadav AP, Li S, Krucoff MO, Lebedev MA, Abd-El-Barr MM, Nicolelis MAL. Generating artificial sensations with spinal cord stimulation in primates and rodents. Brain Stimul 2021; 14:825-836. [PMID: 34015518 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
For patients who have lost sensory function due to a neurological injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, or amputation, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may provide a mechanism for restoring somatic sensations via an intuitive, non-visual pathway. Inspired by this vision, here we trained rhesus monkeys and rats to detect and discriminate patterns of epidural SCS. Thereafter, we constructed psychometric curves describing the relationship between different SCS parameters and the animal's ability to detect SCS and/or changes in its characteristics. We found that the stimulus detection threshold decreased with higher frequency, longer pulse-width, and increasing duration of SCS. Moreover, we found that monkeys were able to discriminate temporally- and spatially-varying patterns (i.e. variations in frequency and location) of SCS delivered through multiple electrodes. Additionally, sensory discrimination of SCS-induced sensations in rats obeyed Weber's law of just-noticeable differences. These findings suggest that by varying SCS intensity, temporal pattern, and location different sensory experiences can be evoked. As such, we posit that SCS can provide intuitive sensory feedback in neuroprosthetic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amol P Yadav
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
| | - Shuangyan Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; State Key Laboratory of Reliability and Intelligence of Electrical Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Tianjin, 300130, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory Bioelectromagnetic Technology and Intelligent Health, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, PR China
| | - Max O Krucoff
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin & Froedtert Health, Wauwatosa, WI, 53226, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University & Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Mikhail A Lebedev
- Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 30 Bolshoy Bulvar, Moscow, 143026, Russia
| | | | - Miguel A L Nicolelis
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Department of Neurology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Natal, 59066060, Brazil
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19
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Urdaneta ME, Kunigk NG, Delgado F, Fried SI, Otto KJ. Layer-specific parameters of intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex. J Neural Eng 2021; 18. [PMID: 33706301 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abedde] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Objective. Intracortical microstimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) has shown great progress in restoring touch sensations to patients with paralysis. Stimulation parameters such as amplitude, phase duration, and frequency can influence the quality of the evoked percept as well as the amount of charge necessary to elicit a response. Previous studies in V1 and auditory cortices have shown that the behavioral responses to stimulation amplitude and phase duration change across cortical depth. However, this depth-dependent response has yet to be investigated in S1. Similarly, to our knowledge, the response to microstimulation frequency across cortical depth remains unexplored.Approach. To assess these questions, we implanted rats in S1 with a microelectrode with electrode-sites spanning all layers of the cortex. A conditioned avoidance behavioral paradigm was used to measure detection thresholds and responses to phase duration and frequency across cortical depth.Main results. Analogous to other cortical areas, the sensitivity to charge and strength-duration chronaxies in S1 varied across cortical layers. Likewise, the sensitivity to microstimulation frequency was layer dependent.Significance. These findings suggest that cortical depth can play an important role in the fine-tuning of stimulation parameters and in the design of intracortical neuroprostheses for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E Urdaneta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Nicolas G Kunigk
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Francisco Delgado
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Shelley I Fried
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.,Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Kevin J Otto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.,J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.,Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.,Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
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20
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The Neurophysiological Representation of Imagined Somatosensory Percepts in Human Cortex. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2177-2185. [PMID: 33483431 PMCID: PMC8018772 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2460-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in human primary somatosensory cortex (S1) has been used to successfully evoke naturalistic sensations. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the evoked sensations remain unknown. To understand how specific stimulation parameters elicit certain sensations we must first understand the representation of those sensations in the brain. In this study we record from intracortical microelectrode arrays implanted in S1, premotor cortex, and posterior parietal cortex of a male human participant performing a somatosensory imagery task. The sensations imagined were those previously elicited by ICMS of S1, in the same array of the same participant. In both spike and local field potential recordings, features of the neural signal can be used to classify different imagined sensations. These features are shown to be stable over time. The sensorimotor cortices only encode the imagined sensation during the imagery task, while posterior parietal cortex encodes the sensations starting with cue presentation. These findings demonstrate that different aspects of the sensory experience can be individually decoded from intracortically recorded human neural signals across the cortical sensory network. Activity underlying these unique sensory representations may inform the stimulation parameters for precisely eliciting specific sensations via ICMS in future work. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Electrical stimulation of human cortex is increasingly more common for providing feedback in neural devices. Understanding the relationship between naturally evoked and artificially evoked neurophysiology for the same sensations will be important in advancing such devices. Here, we investigate the neural activity in human primary somatosensory, premotor, and parietal cortices during somatosensory imagery. The sensations imagined were those previously elicited during intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the same somatosensory electrode array. We elucidate the neural features during somatosensory imagery that significantly encode different aspects of individual sensations and demonstrate feature stability over almost a year. The correspondence between neurophysiology elicited with or without stimulation for the same sensations will inform methods to deliver more precise feedback through stimulation in the future.
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21
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Eles JR, Stieger KC, Kozai TDY. The temporal pattern of Intracortical Microstimulation pulses elicits distinct temporal and spatial recruitment of cortical neuropil and neurons. J Neural Eng 2020; 18. [PMID: 33075762 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abc29c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The spacing or distribution of stimulation pulses of therapeutic neurostimulation waveforms-referred to here as the Temporal Pattern (TP)-has emerged as an important parameter for tuning the response to deep-brain stimulation and intracortical microstimulation (ICMS). While it has long been assumed that modulating the TP of ICMS may be effective by altering the rate coding of the neural response, it is unclear how it alters the neural response at the neural network level. The present study is designed to elucidate the neural response to TP at the network level. APPROACH We use in vivo two-photon imaging of ICMS in mice expressing the calcium sensor Thy1-GCaMP or the glutamate sensor hSyn-iGluSnFr to examine the layer II/III neural response to stimulations with different TPs. We study the neuronal calcium and glutamate response to TPs with the same average frequency (10Hz) and same total charge injection, but varying degrees of bursting. We also investigate one control pattern with an average frequency of 100Hz and 10X the charge injection. MAIN RESULTS Stimulation trains with the same average frequency (10 Hz) and same total charge injection but distinct temporal patterns recruits distinct sets of neurons. More-than-half (60% of 309 cells) prefer one temporal pattern over the other. Despite their distinct spatial recruitment patterns, both cells exhibit similar ability to follow 30s trains of both TPs without failing, and they exhibit similar levels of glutamate release during stimulation. Both neuronal calcium and glutamate release train to the bursting TP pattern (~21-fold increase in relative power at the frequency of bursting. Bursting also results in a statistically significant elevation in the correlation between somatic calcium activity and neuropil activity, which we explore as a metric for inhibitory-excitatory tone. Interestingly, soma-neuropil correlation during the bursting pattern is a statistically significant predictor of cell preference for TP, which exposes a key link between inhibitory-excitatory tone. Finally, using mesoscale imaging, we show that both TPs result in distal inhibition during stimulation, which reveals complex spatial and temporal interactions between temporal pattern and inhibitory-excitatory tone in ICMS. SIGNIFICANCE Our results may ultimately suggest that TP is a valuable parameter space to modulate inhibitory-excitatory tone as well as distinct network activity in ICMS. This presents a broader mechanism of action than rate coding, as previously thought. By implicating these additional mechanisms, TP may have broader utility in the clinic and should be pursued to expand the efficacy of ICMS therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Eles
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UNITED STATES
| | - Kevin C Stieger
- Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UNITED STATES
| | - Takashi D Yoshida Kozai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Fifth Ave, 5059-BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UNITED STATES
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22
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Kumaravelu K, Tomlinson T, Callier T, Sombeck J, Bensmaia SJ, Miller LE, Grill WM. A comprehensive model-based framework for optimal design of biomimetic patterns of electrical stimulation for prosthetic sensation. J Neural Eng 2020; 17:046045. [PMID: 32759488 PMCID: PMC8559728 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abacd8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Touch and proprioception are essential to motor function as shown by the movement deficits that result from the loss of these senses, e.g. due to neuropathy of sensory nerves. To achieve a high-performance brain-controlled prosthetic arm/hand thus requires the restoration of somatosensation, perhaps through intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of somatosensory cortex (S1). The challenge is to generate patterns of neuronal activation that evoke interpretable percepts. We present a framework to design optimal spatiotemporal patterns of ICMS (STIM) that evoke naturalistic patterns of neuronal activity and demonstrate performance superior to four previous approaches. APPROACH We recorded multiunit activity from S1 during a center-out reach task (from proprioceptive neurons in Brodmann's area 2) and during application of skin indentations (from cutaneous neurons in Brodmann's area 1). We implemented a computational model of a cortical hypercolumn and used a genetic algorithm to design STIM that evoked patterns of model neuron activity that mimicked their experimentally-measured counterparts. Finally, from the ICMS patterns, the evoked neuronal activity, and the stimulus parameters that gave rise to it, we trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) to learn the mapping function between the physical stimulus and the biomimetic stimulation pattern, i.e. the sensory encoder to be integrated into a neuroprosthetic device. MAIN RESULTS We identified ICMS patterns that evoked simulated responses that closely approximated the measured responses for neurons within 50 µm of the electrode tip. The RNN-based sensory encoder generalized well to untrained limb movements or skin indentations. STIM designed using the model-based optimization approach outperformed STIM designed using existing linear and nonlinear mappings. SIGNIFICANCE The proposed framework produces an encoder that converts limb state or patterns of pressure exerted onto the prosthetic hand into STIM that evoke naturalistic patterns of neuronal activation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thierri Callier
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Joseph Sombeck
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Sliman J. Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Lee E. Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
- Deptartment of Physiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Warren M. Grill
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC
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23
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Bettinger CJ, Ecker M, Kozai TDY, Malliaras GG, Meng E, Voit W. Recent advances in neural interfaces-Materials chemistry to clinical translation. MRS BULLETIN 2020; 45:655-668. [PMID: 34690420 PMCID: PMC8536148 DOI: 10.1557/mrs.2020.195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Implantable neural interfaces are important tools to accelerate neuroscience research and translate clinical neurotechnologies. The promise of a bidirectional communication link between the nervous system of humans and computers is compelling, yet important materials challenges must be first addressed to improve the reliability of implantable neural interfaces. This perspective highlights recent progress and challenges related to arguably two of the most common failure modes for implantable neural interfaces: (1) compromised barrier layers and packaging leading to failure of electronic components; (2) encapsulation and rejection of the implant due to injurious tissue-biomaterials interactions, which erode the quality and bandwidth of signals across the biology-technology interface. Innovative materials and device design concepts could address these failure modes to improve device performance and broaden the translational prospects of neural interfaces. A brief overview of contemporary neural interfaces is presented and followed by recent progress in chemistry, materials, and fabrication techniques to improve in vivo reliability, including novel barrier materials and harmonizing the various incongruences of the tissue-device interface. Challenges and opportunities related to the clinical translation of neural interfaces are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Bettinger
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
| | - Melanie Ecker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Texas, USA
| | | | | | - Ellis Meng
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Walter Voit
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA
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24
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Mazurek KA, Schieber MH. Injecting Information into the Mammalian Cortex: Progress, Challenges, and Promise. Neuroscientist 2020; 27:129-142. [PMID: 32648527 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420936253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
For 150 years artificial stimulation has been used to study the function of the nervous system. Such stimulation-whether electrical or optogenetic-eventually may be used in neuroprosthetic devices to replace lost sensory inputs and to otherwise introduce information into the nervous system. Efforts toward this goal can be classified broadly as either biomimetic or arbitrary. Biomimetic stimulation aims to mimic patterns of natural neural activity, so that the subject immediately experiences the artificial stimulation as if it were natural sensation. Arbitrary stimulation, in contrast, makes no attempt to mimic natural patterns of neural activity. Instead, different stimuli-at different locations and/or in different patterns-are assigned different meanings randomly. The subject's time and effort then are required to learn to interpret different stimuli, a process that engages the brain's inherent plasticity. Here we will examine progress in using artificial stimulation to inject information into the cerebral cortex and discuss the challenges for and the promise of future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A Mazurek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Marc H Schieber
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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25
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Yadav AP, Li S, Krucoff MO, Lebedev MA, Abd-el-barr MM, Nicolelis MA. Generating Artificial Sensations with Spinal Cord Stimulation in Primates and Rodents.. [DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.09.085647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
AbstractFor patients who have lost sensory function due to a neurological injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, or amputation, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may provide a mechanism for restoring somatic sensations via an intuitive, non-visual pathway. Inspired by this vision, here we trained rhesus monkeys and rats to detect and discriminate patterns of epidural SCS. Thereafter, we constructed psychometric curves describing the relationship between different SCS parameters and the animal’s ability to detect SCS and/or changes in its characteristics. We found that the stimulus detection threshold decreased with higher frequency, longer pulse-width, and increasing duration of SCS. Moreover, we found that monkeys were able to discriminate temporally- and spatially-varying patterns (i.e. variations in frequency and location) of SCS delivered through multiple electrodes. Additionally, sensory discrimination of SCS-induced sensations in rats obeyed Weber’s law of just noticeable differences. These findings suggest that by varying SCS intensity, temporal pattern, and location different sensory experiences can be evoked. As such, we posit that SCS can provide intuitive sensory feedback in neuroprosthetic devices.
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26
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Hao M, Chou CH, Zhang J, Yang F, Cao C, Yin P, Liang W, Niu CM, Lan N. Restoring Finger-Specific Sensory Feedback for Transradial Amputees via Non-Invasive Evoked Tactile Sensation. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1:98-107. [PMID: 35402945 PMCID: PMC8979634 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2020.2981566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: This study assessed the feasibility to restore finger-specific sensory feedback in transradial amputees with electrical stimulation of evoked tactile sensation (ETS). Methods: Here we investigated primary somatosensory cortical (SI) responses of ETS using Magnetoencephalography. Results: SI activations revealed a causal correlation with peripheral stimulation of projected finger regions on the stump skin. Peak latency was accountable to neural transmission from periphery to SI. Peak intensity of SI response was proportional to the strength of peripheral stimulation, manifesting a direct neural pathway from skin receptors to SI neurons. Active regions in SI at the amputated side were consistent to the finger/hand map of homunculus, forming a mirror imaging to that of the contralateral hand. With sensory feedback, amputees can recognize a pressure at prosthetic fingers as that at the homonymous lost fingers. Conclusions: Results confirmed that the direct neural pathway from periphery to SI allows effective communication of finger-specific sensory information to these amputees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manzhao Hao
- Institute of Medical RoboticsShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
| | - Chih-Hong Chou
- Institute of Medical RoboticsShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
| | - Fei Yang
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
| | - Chunyan Cao
- Department of Functional NeurosurgeryRuijin Hospital, School of MedicineShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200025 China
| | - Pengyu Yin
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
| | - Wenyuan Liang
- National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids Beijing 100176 China
| | - Chuanxin M Niu
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
- Department of Rehabilitation MedicineRuijin Hospital, School of MedicineShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200025 China
| | - Ning Lan
- Institute of Medical RoboticsShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
- Laboratory of NeuroRehabilitation EngineeringSchool of Biomedical EngineeringShanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200030 China
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