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Verma N, Knudsen B, Gholston A, Skubal A, Blanz S, Settell M, Frank J, Trevathan J, Ludwig K. Microneurography as a minimally invasive method to assess target engagement during neuromodulation. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:10.1088/1741-2552/acc35c. [PMID: 36898148 PMCID: PMC10587909 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acc35c] [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: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Objective.Peripheral neural signals recorded during neuromodulation therapies provide insights into local neural target engagement and serve as a sensitive biomarker of physiological effect. Although these applications make peripheral recordings important for furthering neuromodulation therapies, the invasive nature of conventional nerve cuffs and longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (LIFEs) limit their clinical utility. Furthermore, cuff electrodes typically record clear asynchronous neural activity in small animal models but not in large animal models. Microneurography, a minimally invasive technique, is already used routinely in humans to record asynchronous neural activity in the periphery. However, the relative performance of microneurography microelectrodes compared to cuff and LIFE electrodes in measuring neural signals relevant to neuromodulation therapies is not well understood.Approach.To address this gap, we recorded cervical vagus nerve electrically evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) and spontaneous activity in a human-scaled large animal model-the pig. Additionally, we recorded sensory evoked activity and both invasively and non-invasively evoked CAPs from the great auricular nerve. In aggregate, this study assesses the potential of microneurography electrodes to measure neural activity during neuromodulation therapies with statistically powered and pre-registered outcomes (https://osf.io/y9k6j).Main results.The cuff recorded the largest ECAP signal (p< 0.01) and had the lowest noise floor amongst the evaluated electrodes. Despite the lower signal to noise ratio, microneurography electrodes were able to detect the threshold for neural activation with similar sensitivity to cuff and LIFE electrodes once a dose-response curve was constructed. Furthermore, the microneurography electrodes recorded distinct sensory evoked neural activity.Significance.The results show that microneurography electrodes can measure neural signals relevant to neuromodulation therapies. Microneurography could further neuromodulation therapies by providing a real-time biomarker to guide electrode placement and stimulation parameter selection to optimize local neural fiber engagement and study mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishant Verma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Bruce Knudsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Aaron Gholston
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Aaron Skubal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Stephan Blanz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Megan Settell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Frank
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - James Trevathan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Kip Ludwig
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Wisconsin Institute for Translational Neuroengineering (WITNe), Madison, WI, United States of America
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
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Gori M, Vadalà G, Giannitelli SM, Denaro V, Di Pino G. Biomedical and Tissue Engineering Strategies to Control Foreign Body Reaction to Invasive Neural Electrodes. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:659033. [PMID: 34113605 PMCID: PMC8185207 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.659033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural-interfaced prostheses aim to restore sensorimotor limb functions in amputees. They rely on bidirectional neural interfaces, which represent the communication bridge between nervous system and neuroprosthetic device by controlling its movements and evoking sensory feedback. Compared to extraneural electrodes (i.e., epineural and perineural implants), intraneural electrodes, implanted within peripheral nerves, have higher selectivity and specificity of neural signal recording and nerve stimulation. However, being implanted in the nerve, their main limitation is represented by the significant inflammatory response that the body mounts around the probe, known as Foreign Body Reaction (FBR), which may hinder their rapid clinical translation. Furthermore, the mechanical mismatch between the consistency of the device and the surrounding neural tissue may contribute to exacerbate the inflammatory state. The FBR is a non-specific reaction of the host immune system to a foreign material. It is characterized by an early inflammatory phase eventually leading to the formation of a fibrotic capsule around intraneural interfaces, which increases the electrical impedance over time and reduces the chronic interface biocompatibility and functionality. Thus, the future in the reduction and control of the FBR relies on innovative biomedical strategies for the fabrication of next-generation neural interfaces, such as the development of more suitable designs of the device with smaller size, appropriate stiffness and novel conductive and biomimetic coatings for improving their long-term stability and performance. Here, we present and critically discuss the latest biomedical approaches from material chemistry and tissue engineering for controlling and mitigating the FBR in chronic neural implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuele Gori
- Laboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC) - National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Vadalà
- Laboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Maria Giannitelli
- Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Denaro
- Laboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Pino
- NeXT: Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Raspopovic S, Cimolato A, Panarese A, Vallone F, Del Valle J, Micera S, Navarro X. Neural signal recording and processing in somatic neuroprosthetic applications. A review. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 337:108653. [PMID: 32114143 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neurointerfaces have acquired major relevance as both rehabilitative and therapeutic tools for patients with spinal cord injury, limb amputations and other neural disorders. Bidirectional neural interfaces are a key component for the functional control of neuroprosthetic devices. The two main neuroprosthetic applications of interfaces with the peripheral nervous system (PNS) are: the refined control of artificial prostheses with sensory neural feedback, and functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems attempting to generate motor or visceral responses in paralyzed organs. The results obtained in experimental and clinical studies with both, extraneural and intraneural electrodes are very promising in terms of the achieved functionality for the neural stimulation mode. However, the results of neural recordings with peripheral nerve interfaces are more limited. In this paper we review the different existing approaches for PNS signals recording, denoising, processing and classification, enabling their use for bidirectional interfaces. PNS recordings can provide three types of signals: i) population activity signals recorded by using extraneural electrodes placed on the outer surface of the nerve, which carry information about cumulative nerve activity; ii) spike activity signals recorded with intraneural electrodes placed inside the nerve, which carry information about the electrical activity of a set of individual nerve fibers; and iii) hybrid signals, which contain both spiking and cumulative signals. Finally, we also point out some of the main limitations, which are hampering clinical translation of neural decoding, and indicate possible solutions for improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanisa Raspopovic
- Neuroengineering Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Cimolato
- Neuroengineering Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland; NEARLab - Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, DEIB Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, 20133, Milano, Italy; IIT Central Research Labs Genova, Istituto Italiano Tecnologia, 16163, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Vallone
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, I-56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Jaume Del Valle
- Institute of Neurosciences and Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma De Barcelona, CIBERNED, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Silvestro Micera
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, I-56127, Pisa, Italy; Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland.
| | - Xavier Navarro
- Institute of Neurosciences and Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma De Barcelona, CIBERNED, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Institut Guttmann De Neurorehabilitació, Badalona, Spain.
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Bong J, Ness JP, Zeng W, Kim H, Novello J, Pisaniello J, Lake WB, Ludwig KA, Williams JC, Ma Z, Suminski AJ. Flexible, multichannel cuff electrode for selective electrical stimulation of the mouse trigeminal nerve. Biosens Bioelectron 2019; 142:111493. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Tam WK, Wu T, Zhao Q, Keefer E, Yang Z. Human motor decoding from neural signals: a review. BMC Biomed Eng 2019; 1:22. [PMID: 32903354 PMCID: PMC7422484 DOI: 10.1186/s42490-019-0022-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Many people suffer from movement disability due to amputation or neurological diseases. Fortunately, with modern neurotechnology now it is possible to intercept motor control signals at various points along the neural transduction pathway and use that to drive external devices for communication or control. Here we will review the latest developments in human motor decoding. We reviewed the various strategies to decode motor intention from human and their respective advantages and challenges. Neural control signals can be intercepted at various points in the neural signal transduction pathway, including the brain (electroencephalography, electrocorticography, intracortical recordings), the nerves (peripheral nerve recordings) and the muscles (electromyography). We systematically discussed the sites of signal acquisition, available neural features, signal processing techniques and decoding algorithms in each of these potential interception points. Examples of applications and the current state-of-the-art performance were also reviewed. Although great strides have been made in human motor decoding, we are still far away from achieving naturalistic and dexterous control like our native limbs. Concerted efforts from material scientists, electrical engineers, and healthcare professionals are needed to further advance the field and make the technology widely available in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing-kin Tam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 7-105 Hasselmo Hall, 312 Church St. SE, Minnesota, 55455 USA
| | - Tong Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 7-105 Hasselmo Hall, 312 Church St. SE, Minnesota, 55455 USA
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 4-192 Keller Hall, 200 Union Street SE, Minnesota, 55455 USA
| | - Edward Keefer
- Nerves Incorporated, Dallas, TX P. O. Box 141295 USA
| | - Zhi Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 7-105 Hasselmo Hall, 312 Church St. SE, Minnesota, 55455 USA
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Eggers TE, Dweiri YM, McCallum GA, Durand DM. Recovering Motor Activation with Chronic Peripheral Nerve Computer Interface. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14149. [PMID: 30237487 PMCID: PMC6148292 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32357-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Interfaces with the peripheral nerve provide the ability to extract motor activation and restore sensation to amputee patients. The ability to chronically extract motor activations from the peripheral nervous system remains an unsolved problem. In this study, chronic recordings with the Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) are employed to recover the activation levels of innervated muscles. The FINEs were implanted on the sciatic nerves of canines, and neural recordings were obtained as the animal walked on a treadmill. During these trials, electromyograms (EMG) from the surrounding hamstring muscles were simultaneously recorded and the neural recordings are shown to be free of interference or crosstalk from these muscles. Using a novel Bayesian algorithm, the signals from individual fascicles were recovered and then compared to the corresponding target EMG of the lower limb. High correlation coefficients (0.84 ± 0.07 and 0.61 ± 0.12) between the extracted tibial fascicle/medial gastrocnemius and peroneal fascicle/tibialis anterior muscle were obtained. Analysis calculating the information transfer rate (ITR) from the muscle to the motor predictions yielded approximately 5 and 1 bit per second (bps) for the two sources. This method can predict motor signals from neural recordings and could be used to drive a prosthesis by interfacing with residual nerves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Eggers
- Neural Engineering Center, Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
| | - Yazan M Dweiri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Grant A McCallum
- Neural Engineering Center, Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
| | - Dominique M Durand
- Neural Engineering Center, Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA.
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Spearman BS, Desai VH, Mobini S, McDermott MD, Graham JB, Otto KJ, Judy JW, Schmidt CE. Tissue-Engineered Peripheral Nerve Interfaces. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2018; 28:1701713. [PMID: 37829558 PMCID: PMC10569514 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201701713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Research on neural interfaces has historically concentrated on development of systems for the brain; however, there is increasing interest in peripheral nerve interfaces (PNIs) that could provide benefit when peripheral nerve function is compromised, such as for amputees. Efforts focus on designing scalable and high-performance sensory and motor peripheral nervous system interfaces. Current PNIs face several design challenges such as undersampling of signals from the thousands of axons, nerve-fiber selectivity, and device-tissue integration. To improve PNIs, several researchers have turned to tissue engineering. Peripheral nerve tissue engineering has focused on designing regeneration scaffolds that mimic normal nerve extracellular matrix composition, provide advanced microarchitecture to stimulate cell migration, and have mechanical properties like the native nerve. By combining PNIs with tissue engineering, the goal is to promote natural axon regeneration into the devices to facilitate close contact with electrodes; in contrast, traditional PNIs rely on insertion or placement of electrodes into or around existing nerves, or do not utilize materials to actively facilitate axon regeneration. This review presents the state-of-the-art of PNIs and nerve tissue engineering, highlights recent approaches to combine neural-interface technology and tissue engineering, and addresses the remaining challenges with foreign-body response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin S Spearman
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
| | - Vidhi H Desai
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Florida, 216 Larsen Hall, 116200, Gainesville, FL 32611-6200
- Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology, The University of Florida, 1041 Center Drive, 116621, Gainesville, FL 32611-6621
| | - Sahba Mobini
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
| | - Matthew D McDermott
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, 206 S. Martin Jischke Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2032
| | - James B Graham
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
| | - Kevin J Otto
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
- Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology, The University of Florida, 1041 Center Drive, 116621, Gainesville, FL 32611-6621
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Florida, 1149 Newell Dr., Room L1-100, 100244, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244
- Department of Neurology, The University of Florida, 2000 SW Archer Rd., Third Floor, 100383, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Jack W Judy
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Florida, 216 Larsen Hall, 116200, Gainesville, FL 32611-6200
- Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology, The University of Florida, 1041 Center Drive, 116621, Gainesville, FL 32611-6621
| | - Christine E Schmidt
- Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Florida, 1275 Center Dr., BMS Building JG-56, 116131, Gainesville, FL 32611-6131
- Nanoscience Institute for Medical and Engineering Technology, The University of Florida, 1041 Center Drive, 116621, Gainesville, FL 32611-6621
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Jung R, Abbas JJ, Kuntaegowdanahalli S, Thota AK. Bionic intrafascicular interfaces for recording and stimulating peripheral nerve fibers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 1:55-69. [PMID: 29480906 DOI: 10.2217/bem-2017-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The network of peripheral nerves presents extraordinary potential for modulating and/or monitoring the functioning of internal organs or the brain. The degree to which these pathways can be used to influence or observe neural activity patterns will depend greatly on the quality and specificity of the bionic interface. The anatomical organization, which consists of multiple nerve fibers clustered into fascicles within a nerve bundle, presents opportunities and challenges that may necessitate insertion of electrodes into individual fascicles to achieve the specificity that may be required for many clinical applications. This manuscript reviews the current state-of-the-art in bionic intrafascicular interfaces, presents specific concerns for stimulation and recording, describes key implementation considerations and discusses challenges for future designs of bionic intrafascicular interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranu Jung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA
| | - James J Abbas
- Center for Adaptive Neural Systems, School of Biological & Health Systems Engineering, PO Box 879709 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-9709, USA.,Center for Adaptive Neural Systems, School of Biological & Health Systems Engineering, PO Box 879709 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-9709, USA
| | - Sathyakumar Kuntaegowdanahalli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA
| | - Anil K Thota
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, EC2602, 10555 W Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33134, USA
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Rieger R, Sun Y, Wu YC. Neuron Emulator Implementations for Patch-Clamp and Longitudinal Electrode Settings. J Med Biol Eng 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40846-016-0158-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Delgado-Martínez I, Badia J, Pascual-Font A, Rodríguez-Baeza A, Navarro X. Fascicular Topography of the Human Median Nerve for Neuroprosthetic Surgery. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:286. [PMID: 27445660 PMCID: PMC4929846 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most sought-after applications of neuroengineering is the communication between the arm and an artificial prosthetic device for the replacement of an amputated hand or the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. For that, an electrode is placed around or inside the median nerve to serve as interface for recording and stimulation of nerve signals coming from the fascicles that innervate the muscles responsible for hand movements. Due to the lack of a standard procedure, the electrode implantation by the surgeon is strongly based on intuition, which may result in poor performance of the neuroprosthesis because of the suboptimal location of the neural interface. To provide morphological data that can aid the neuroprosthetic surgeon with this procedure, we investigated the fascicular topography of the human median nerve along the forearm and upper arm. We first performed a description of the fascicular content and branching patterns along the length of the arm. Next we built a 3D reconstruction of the median nerve so we could analyze the fascicle morphological features in relation to the arm level. Finally, we characterized the motor content of the median nerve fascicles in the upper arm. Collectively, these results indicate that fascicular organization occurs in a short segment distal to the epicondyles and remains unaltered until the muscular branches leave the main trunk. Based on our results, overall recommendations based on electrode type and implant location can be drawn to help and aid the neuroprosthetic procedure. Invasive interfaces would be more convenient for the upper arm and the most proximal third of the forearm. Epineural electrodes seem to be most suitable for the forearm segment after fascicles have been divided from the main trunk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Delgado-Martínez
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Badia
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
| | - Arán Pascual-Font
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza
- Department of Morphological Sciences, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Navarro
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades NeurodegenerativasMadrid, Spain
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Muceli S, Poppendieck W, Negro F, Yoshida K, Hoffmann KP, Butler JE, Gandevia SC, Farina D. Accurate and representative decoding of the neural drive to muscles in humans with multi-channel intramuscular thin-film electrodes. J Physiol 2016; 593:3789-804. [PMID: 26174910 DOI: 10.1113/jp270902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intramuscular electrodes developed over the past 80 years can record the concurrent activity of only a few motor units active during a muscle contraction. We designed, produced and tested a novel multi-channel intramuscular wire electrode that allows in vivo concurrent recordings of a substantially greater number of motor units than with conventional methods. The electrode has been extensively tested in deep and superficial human muscles. The performed tests indicate the applicability of the proposed technology in a variety of conditions. The electrode represents an important novel technology that opens new avenues in the study of the neural control of muscles in humans. We describe the design, fabrication and testing of a novel multi-channel thin-film electrode for detection of the output of motoneurones in vivo and in humans, through muscle signals. The structure includes a linear array of 16 detection sites that can sample intramuscular electromyographic activity from the entire muscle cross-section. The structure was tested in two superficial muscles (the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) and the tibialis anterior (TA)) and a deep muscle (the genioglossus (GG)) during contractions at various forces. Moreover, surface electromyogram (EMG) signals were concurrently detected from the TA muscle with a grid of 64 electrodes. Surface and intramuscular signals were decomposed into the constituent motor unit (MU) action potential trains. With the intramuscular electrode, up to 31 MUs were identified from the ADM muscle during an isometric contraction at 15% of the maximal force (MVC) and 50 MUs were identified for a 30% MVC contraction of TA. The new electrode detects different sources from a surface EMG system, as only one MU spike train was found to be common in the decomposition of the intramuscular and surface signals acquired from the TA. The system also allowed access to the GG muscle, which cannot be analysed with surface EMG, with successful identification of MU activity. With respect to classic detection systems, the presented thin-film structure enables recording from large populations of active MUs of deep and superficial muscles and thus can provide a faithful representation of the neural drive sent to a muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Muceli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wigand Poppendieck
- Department of Medical Engineering and Neuroprosthetics, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, 66386, St Ingbert, Germany
| | - Francesco Negro
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ken Yoshida
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, 46202-5160, USA
| | - Klaus P Hoffmann
- Department of Medical Engineering and Neuroprosthetics, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, 66386, St Ingbert, Germany
| | - Jane E Butler
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick and University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Simon C Gandevia
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick and University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Dario Farina
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
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12
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Qiao S, Stieglitz T, Yoshida K. Estimation of the Electrode-Fiber Bioelectrical Coupling From Extracellularly Recorded Single Fiber Action Potentials. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2015; 24:951-960. [PMID: 26469339 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2015.2489924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Selective peripheral neural interfaces are currently capable of detecting minute electrical signals from nearby nerve fibers as single fiber action potential (SFAP) waveforms. Each detected single unit has a distinct shape originating from the unique bioelectrical coupling that exists between the neuroprosthetic electrode, the nerve fiber and the extracellular milieu. The bioelectrical coupling manifests itself as a series of low-pass Bessel filters acting on the action currents along the nerve fiber. Here, we present a method to estimate the electrode-fiber bioelectrical coupling through a quantitative analysis of the spectral distribution of the single units extracellularly recorded with the thin-film longitudinal intrafascicular electrode (tfLIFE) in an in vivo mammalian peripheral nerve animal model. The bioelectrical coupling estimate is an estimate of the electrode sensitivity function traversed by the nerve fiber, suggesting that it is as a means to directly measure the spatial relationship between the nerve fiber and electrode. It not only reflects a shape change to the SFAP, but has implications for in situ nerve fiber location tracking, in situ diagnostics of nerves and neuroproshetic electrodes, and assessment of the biocompatibility of neural interfaces and the health of the reporting nerve fibers.
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Chai G, Sui X, Li S, He L, Lan N. Characterization of evoked tactile sensation in forearm amputees with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. J Neural Eng 2015; 12:066002. [DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/12/6/066002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Thota AK, Kuntaegowdanahalli S, Starosciak AK, Abbas JJ, Orbay J, Horch KW, Jung R. A system and method to interface with multiple groups of axons in several fascicles of peripheral nerves. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 244:78-84. [PMID: 25092497 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several neural interface technologies that stimulate and/or record from groups of axons have been developed. The longitudinal intrafascicular electrode (LIFE) is a fine wire that can provide access to a discrete population of axons within a peripheral nerve fascicle. Some applications require, or would benefit greatly from, technology that could provide access to multiple discrete sites in several fascicles. NEW METHOD The distributed intrafascicular multi-electrode (DIME) lead was developed to deploy multiple LIFEs to several fascicles. It consists of several (e.g. six) LIFEs that are coiled and placed in a sheath for strength and durability, with a portion left uncoiled to allow insertion at distinct sites. We have also developed a multi-lead multi-electrode (MLME) management system that includes a set of sheaths and procedures for fabrication and deployment. RESULTS A prototype with 3 DIME leads was fabricated and tested in a procedure in a cadaver arm. The leads were successfully routed through skin and connective tissue and the deployment procedures were utilized to insert the LIFEs into fascicles of two nerves. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S) Most multi-electrode systems use a single-lead, multi-electrode design. For some applications, this design may be limited by the bulk of the multi-contact array and/or by the spatial distribution of the electrodes. CONCLUSION We have designed a system that can be used to access multiple sets of discrete groups of fibers that are spatially distributed in one or more fascicles of peripheral nerves. This system may be useful for neural-enabled prostheses or other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil K Thota
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Sathyakumar Kuntaegowdanahalli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Amy K Starosciak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - James J Abbas
- Center for Adaptive Neural Systems, School for Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jorge Orbay
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA; Miami Hand and Upper Extremity Institute, 8905 SW 87th Avenue, Miami, FL 33176, USA
| | - Kenneth W Horch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Ranu Jung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, EC 2610, Miami, FL 33174, USA.
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Rieger R, Schuettler M, Chuang SC. A device for emulating cuff recordings of action potentials propagating along peripheral nerves. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2014; 22:937-45. [PMID: 24760928 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2014.2300933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes a device that emulates propagation of action potentials along a peripheral nerve, suitable for reproducible testing of bio-potential recording systems using nerve cuff electrodes. The system is a microcontroller-based stand-alone instrument which uses established nerve and electrode models to represent neural activity of real nerves recorded with a nerve cuff interface, taking into consideration electrode impedance, voltages picked up by the electrodes, and action potential propagation characteristics. The system emulates different scenarios including compound action potentials with selectable propagation velocities and naturally occurring nerve traffic from different velocity fiber populations. Measured results from a prototype implementation are reported and compared with in vitro recordings from Xenopus Laevis frog sciatic nerve, demonstrating that the electrophysiological setting is represented to a satisfactory degree, useful for the development, optimization and characterization of future recording systems.
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Esrafilzadeh D, Razal JM, Moulton SE, Stewart EM, Wallace GG. Multifunctional conducting fibres with electrically controlled release of ciprofloxacin. J Control Release 2013; 169:313-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2012] [Revised: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Interfaces with the peripheral nerve for the control of neuroprostheses. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2013; 109:63-83. [PMID: 24093606 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-420045-6.00002-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Nervous system injuries lead to loss of control of sensory, motor, and autonomic functions of the affected areas of the body. Provided the high amount of people worldwide suffering from these injuries and the impact on their everyday life, numerous and different neuroprostheses and hybrid bionic systems have been developed to restore or partially mimic the lost functions. A key point for usable neuroprostheses is the electrode that interfaces the nervous system and translates not only motor orders into electrical outputs that activate the prosthesis but is also able to transform sensory information detected by the machine into signals that are transmitted to the central nervous system. Nerve electrodes have been classified with regard to their invasiveness in extraneural, intraneural, and regenerative. The more invasive is the implant the more selectivity of interfacing can be reached. However, boosting invasiveness and selectivity may also heighten nerve damage. This chapter provides a general overview of nerve electrodes as well as the state-of-the-art of their biomedical applications in neuroprosthetic systems.
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Qiao S, Torkamani-Azar M, Salama P, Yoshida K. Stationary wavelet transform and higher order statistical analyses of intrafascicular nerve recordings. J Neural Eng 2012; 9:056014. [PMID: 23010694 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/9/5/056014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Nerve signals were recorded from the sciatic nerve of the rabbits in the acute experiments with multi-channel thin-film longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes. 5.5 s sequences of quiescent and high-level nerve activity were spectrally decomposed by applying a ten-level stationary wavelet transform with the Daubechies 10 (Db10) mother wavelet. Then, the statistical distributions of the raw and subband-decomposed sequences were estimated and used to fit a fourth-order Pearson distribution as well as check for normality. The results indicated that the raw and decomposed background and high-level nerve activity distributions were nearly zero-mean and non-skew. All distributions with the frequency content above 187.5 Hz were leptokurtic except for the first-level decomposition representing frequencies in the subband between 12 and 24 kHz, which was Gaussian. This suggests that nerve activity acts to change the statistical distribution of the recording. The results further demonstrated that quiescent recording contained a mixture of an underlying pink noise and low-level nerve activity that could not be silenced. The signal-to-noise ratios based upon the standard deviation (SD) and kurtosis were estimated, and the latter was found as an effective measure for monitoring the nerve activity residing in different frequency subbands. The nerve activity modulated kurtosis along with SD, suggesting that the joint use of SD and kurtosis could improve the stability and detection accuracy of spike-detection algorithms. Finally, synthesizing the reconstructed subband signals following denoising based upon the higher order statistics of the subband-decomposed coefficient sequences allowed us to effectively purify the signal without distorting spike shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoyu Qiao
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
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Micera S, Carpaneto J, Raspopovic S. Control of hand prostheses using peripheral information. IEEE Rev Biomed Eng 2012; 3:48-68. [PMID: 22275201 DOI: 10.1109/rbme.2010.2085429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Several efforts have been carried out to enhance dexterous hand prosthesis control by impaired individuals. Choosing which voluntary signal to use for control purposes is a critical element to achieve this goal. This review presents and discusses the recent results achieved by using electromyographic signals, recorded either with surface (sEMG) or intramuscular (iEMG) electrodes, and electroneurographic (ENG) signals. The potential benefits and shortcomings of the different approaches are described with a particular attention to the definition of all the steps required to achieve an effective hand prosthesis control in the different cases. Finally, a possible roadmap in the field is also presented.
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Determination of electrode to nerve fiber distance and nerve conduction velocity through spectral analysis of the extracellular action potentials recorded from earthworm giant fibers. Med Biol Eng Comput 2012; 50:867-75. [PMID: 22714669 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-012-0930-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 06/01/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Microneurography and the use of selective microelectrodes that can resolve single-unit nerve activity have become a tool to understand the coding within the nervous system and a clinical diagnostic tool to assess peripheral neural pathologies. Central to these techniques is the use of the differences in the shape of the extracellular action potential (AP) waveform to identify and discriminate units from one another. Theoretical modeling of the origins of these shape differences has shown that the position of the nerve fiber relative to the electrode and the conduction velocity of the unit contribute to these differences giving rise to the hypothesis that more information about the fiber and its relationship to the electrode could be extracted given further analysis of the AP waveform. This paper addresses this question by exploring the electrical coupling between the electrode and nerve fiber. Idealized models and the literature indicate that two parameters, the electrode-fiber distance and the unit conduction velocity, contribute to the amplitude of the extracellular AP detected by the electrode, which confounds the quantification of coupling using the spike amplitude alone. To resolve this, we develop a method that enables differential quantification of these two parameters using spectral analysis of the single-unit AP waveform and demonstrate that the two parameters could be effectively decoupled in an in vitro earthworm model. The method could open the way forward toward micro-scale in situ monitoring of the interaction of nerve fiber and neural interface.
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Influence of unit distance and conduction velocity on the spectra of extracellular action potentials recorded with intrafascicular electrodes. Med Eng Phys 2012; 35:116-24. [PMID: 22578931 DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2012.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2011] [Revised: 02/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The use of highly selective penetrating electrodes yields multi-unit extracellular action potential (AP) recordings of the nerve fibers in the vicinity of the electrode. Accessing the information carried within the neural data stream further requires discrimination and separation of the multi-unit recording into their constituent multiple single unit spike trains. Shape differences in the single fiber action potentials (SFAPs) are typically used as the criteria for unit separation. The present paper explores the origins of the shape differences through analysis of the SFAP in the frequency domain. We present the derivation and computational model predictions of a method to quantitatively analyse changes in the spectral components of SFAPs with an axially located intrafascicular electrode with non-radially symmetrical sensitivity function. A spatial tissue filter relationship was derived using reciprocity equations in the spatial frequency domain and transformed to time frequency. A three dimensional bioelectrical volume conductor finite element model of a recording electrode residing in a nerve fascicle was developed to explore the potential distribution in the nerve fascicle and further derive the electrode-fiber coupling function in the time-frequency domain. It was found that the spectral distribution of the SFAP was multimodal in nature, similar to empirical reported earlier, and could be predicted by taking the single fiber action currents (SFACs) filtered by the electrode-fiber coupling function. This function manifested itself as a low-pass filter of the SFAC, dependent upon the fiber's location relative to the electrode and conduction velocity. Analysis of the spectral distribution revealed that changes in the landmarks of the distribution could be related to the fiber location and conduction velocity. Moreover, a consistent relationship was found when exploring the distribution of fibers located off the one axis of symmetry.
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Nielsen TN, Sevcencu C, Struijk JJ. Fascicle-Selectivity of an Intraneural Stimulation Electrode in the Rabbit Sciatic Nerve. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2012; 59:192-7. [DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2011.2169671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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23
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Loi D, Carboni C, Angius G, Angotzi GN, Barbaro M, Raffo L, Raspopovic S, Navarro X. Peripheral neural activity recording and stimulation system. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2011; 5:368-379. [PMID: 23851951 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2011.2123097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a portable, embedded, microcontroller-based system for bidirectional communication (recording and stimulation) between an electrode, implanted in the peripheral nervous system, and a host computer. The device is able to record and digitize spontaneous and/or evoked neural activities and store them in data files on a PC. In addition, the system has the capability of providing electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves, injecting biphasic current pulses with programmable duration, intensity, and frequency. The recording system provides a highly selective band-pass filter from 800 Hz to 3 kHz, with a gain of 56 dB. The amplification range can be further extended to 96 dB with a variable gain amplifier. The proposed acquisition/stimulation circuitry has been successfully tested through in vivo measurements, implanting a tf-LIFE electrode in the sciatic nerve of a rat. Once implanted, the device showed an input referred noise of 0.83 μVrms, was capable of recording signals below 10 μ V, and generated muscle responses to injected stimuli. The results demonstrate the capability of processing and transmitting neural signals with very low distortion and with a power consumption lower than 1 W. A graphic, user-friendly interface has been developed to facilitate the configuration of the entire system, providing the possibility to activate stimulation and monitor recordings in real time.
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A criterion for signal-based selection of wavelets for denoising intrafascicular nerve recordings. J Neurosci Methods 2010; 186:274-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2009] [Revised: 11/24/2009] [Accepted: 11/26/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Ackermann DM, Foldes EL, Bhadra N, Kilgore KL. Conduction block of peripheral nerve using high-frequency alternating currents delivered through an intrafascicular electrode. Muscle Nerve 2010; 41:117-9. [PMID: 19813186 DOI: 10.1002/mus.21496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Many diseases are characterized by undesired or pathological neural activity. The local delivery of high-frequency currents has been shown to be an effective method for blocking neural conduction in peripheral nerves and may provide a therapy for these conditions. To date, all studies of high-frequency conduction block have utilized extraneural (cuff) electrodes to achieve conduction block. In this study we show that high-frequency conduction block is feasible using intrafascicular electrodes.
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Djilas M, Azevedo-Coste C, Guiraud D, Yoshida K. Spike sorting of muscle spindle afferent nerve activity recorded with thin-film intrafascicular electrodes. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2010; 2010:836346. [PMID: 20369071 PMCID: PMC2847763 DOI: 10.1155/2010/836346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2009] [Revised: 12/05/2009] [Accepted: 01/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Afferent muscle spindle activity in response to passive muscle stretch was recorded in vivo using thin-film longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes. A neural spike detection and classification scheme was developed for the purpose of separating activity of primary and secondary muscle spindle afferents. The algorithm is based on the multiscale continuous wavelet transform using complex wavelets. The detection scheme outperforms the commonly used threshold detection, especially with recordings having low signal-to-noise ratio. Results of classification of units indicate that the developed classifier is able to isolate activity having linear relationship with muscle length, which is a step towards online model-based estimation of muscle length that can be used in a closed-loop functional electrical stimulation system with natural sensory feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Djilas
- Vision Institute, 17 rue Moreau, 75012 Paris, France.
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Djilas M, Azevedo-Coste C, Guiraud D, Yoshida K. Interpretation of Muscle Spindle Afferent Nerve Response to Passive Muscle Stretch Recorded With Thin-Film Longitudinal Intrafascicular Electrodes. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2009; 17:445-53. [DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2009.2032286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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28
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Kamavuako EN, Yoshida K, Jensen W. Variance-based signal conditioning technique: Comparison to a wavelet-based technique to improve spike detection in multiunit intrafascicular recordings. Biomed Signal Process Control 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2009.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Micera S, Navarro X, Carpaneto J, Citi L, Tonet O, Rossini PM, Carrozza MC, Hoffmann KP, Vivó M, Yoshida K, Dario P. On the use of longitudinal intrafascicular peripheral interfaces for the control of cybernetic hand prostheses in amputees. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2009; 16:453-72. [PMID: 18990649 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2008.2006207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Significant strides have been recently made to develop highly sensorized cybernetic prostheses aimed at restoring sensorimotor limb functions to those who have lost them because of a traumatic event (amputation). In these cases, one of the main goals is to create a bidirectional link between the artificial devices (e.g., robotic hands, arms, or legs) and the nervous system. Several human-machine interfaces (HMIs) are currently used to this aim. Among them, interfaces with the peripheral nervous system and in particular longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes can be a promising solution able to improve the current situation. In this paper, the potentials and limits of the use of this interface to control robotic devices are presented. Specific information is provided on: 1) the neurophysiological bases for the use peripheral nerve interfaces; 2) a comparison of the potentials of the different peripheral neural interfaces; 3) the possibility of extracting and appropriately interpreting the neural code for motor commands and of delivering sensory feedback by stimulating afferent fibers by using longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes; 4) a preliminary comparative analysis of the performance of this approach with the ones of others HMIs; 5) the open issues which have to be addressed for a chronic usability of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvestro Micera
- ARTS and CRIM Laboratories, Scuola Superiore SantAnna, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
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Micera S, Navarro X. Bidirectional interfaces with the peripheral nervous system. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2009; 86:23-38. [PMID: 19607988 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(09)86002-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Considerable scientific and technological efforts have been devoted to develop neuroprostheses and hybrid bionic systems that link the human nervous system with electronic or robotic prostheses, with the main aim of restoring motor and sensory functions in disabled patients. Such developments have also the potential to be applied to normal human beings to improve their physical capabilities for bidirectional control and feedback of machines. A number of neuroprostheses use interfaces with peripheral nerves or muscles for neuromuscular stimulation and signal recording. This chapter provides a general overview of the peripheral neural interfaces available and their use from research to clinical application in controlling artificial and robotic prostheses and in developing neuroprostheses. Extraneural electrodes, such as cuff and epineurial electrodes, provide simultaneous interface with many axons in the nerve, whereas intrafascicular, penetrating, and regenerative electrodes may selectively contact small groups of axons within a nerve fascicle. Biological and technical issues are reviewed relative to the problems of electrode design and tissue injury. The last sections review different strategies for the use of peripheral neural interfaces in biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvestro Micera
- ARTS and CRIM Labs, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, I-56127 Pisa, Italy
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On the use of wavelet denoising and spike sorting techniques to process electroneurographic signals recorded using intraneural electrodes. J Neurosci Methods 2008; 172:294-302. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2008.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2007] [Revised: 04/03/2008] [Accepted: 04/25/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Farina D, Yoshida K, Stieglitz T, Koch KP. Multichannel thin-film electrode for intramuscular electromyographic recordings. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2008; 104:821-7. [DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00788.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It is currently not possible to record electromyographic (EMG) signals from many locations concurrently inside the muscle in a single wire electrode system. We developed a thin-film wire electrode system for multichannel intramuscular EMG recordings. The system was fabricated using a micromachining process, with a silicon wafer as production platform for polyimide-based electrodes. In the current prototype, the flexible polymer structure is 220 μm wide, 10 μm thick, and 1.5 cm long, and it has eight circular platinum-platinum chloride recording sites of 40-μm diameter distributed along the front and back surfaces with 1,500-μm intersite spacing. The system prototype was tested in six experiments where the electrode was implanted into the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle of rabbits, perpendicular to the pennation angle of the muscle fibers. Asynchronous motor unit activity was induced by eliciting the withdrawal reflex or sequential crushes of the sciatic nerve using a pair of forceps. Sixty-seven motor units were identified from these recordings. In the bandwidth 200 Hz to 5 kHz, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the action potentials of the detected motor units was 75 ± 12 μV and the root mean square of the noise was 1.6 ± 0.4 μV. The noise level and amplitude of the action potentials were similar for measures separated by up to 40 min. The experimental tests demonstrated that thin film is a promising technology for a new type of flexible-wire intramuscular EMG recording system with multiple detection sites.
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Digiovanna J, Citi L, Yoshida K, Carpaneto J, Principe JC, Sanchez JC, Micera S. Inferring the stability of LIFE through Brain Machine Interfaces. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2008; 2008:2008-2011. [PMID: 19163087 DOI: 10.1109/iembs.2008.4649584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We examine neural signals from Longitudinally implanted Intra-Fascicular Electrodes (LIFE) in a chronic, rabbit model. Translation-invariant wavelet de-noising methods are used to improve S%R. Then traditional template-based spike sorting is applied to discriminate single units. We investigate the effect of discriminating between identified units on Brain Machine Interface (BMI) decoding performance. We infer the stability of LIFE based on decoding performance with and without current BMI methods to counter-act electrode neural signal degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Digiovanna
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
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Yoshida K, Lewinsky I, Nielsen M, Hylleberg M. Implantation mechanics of tungsten microneedles into peripheral nerve trunks. Med Biol Eng Comput 2007; 45:413-20. [PMID: 17333101 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-007-0175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2006] [Accepted: 02/06/2007] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
50 microm tungsten microneedles have been used as a means to introduce longitudinal intra-fascicular electrodes (LIFE) into small peripheral nerve fascicles. However, recent attempts to implant LIFEs into larger, human sized nerves with the same needles resulted in buckling failure of the introducer needle. In the present study, the implantation mechanics (penetration forces and penetration dimple depth) of electrosharpened tungsten microneedles ranging in diameters from 50 to 200 microm into freshly excised porcine peripheral nerve trunks between 3 and 5 mm in thickness was characterized to understand the implantation mechanics and to find the minimum needle diameter that would result in successful penetration. The implant success rate was found to be highest with needles having diameters between 80 and 120 microm. The force of successful penetration ranged from 7.2 +/- 0.6 to 71.8 +/- 19.5 mN, and increased monotonically with needle diameter. It also had a tendency to increase with increasing tip angles. The dimple depth for successful penetrations varied between 1 and 1.5 mm, and also tended to increase with increasing tip angles, although it was generally not affected by increased needle diameter. Only the smallest penetration dimple depth was found to be different from the others and was associated with the smallest diameter needle (50 microm). Analysis based on the critical buckling force and the measured implantation forces indicated a 15 mm long needle of 80 microm diameter would be necessary and sufficient to penetrate medium to large sized nerves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Yoshida
- Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers vej 7, D3, 9220, Aalborg, Denmark.
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Langzam E, Isakov E, Mizrahi J. Evaluation of methods for extraction of the volitional EMG in dynamic hybrid muscle activation. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2006; 3:27. [PMID: 17123447 PMCID: PMC1713246 DOI: 10.1186/1743-0003-3-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2006] [Accepted: 11/23/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hybrid muscle activation is a modality used for muscle force enhancement, in which muscle contraction is generated from two different excitation sources: volitional and external, by means of electrical stimulation (ES). Under hybrid activation, the overall EMG signal is the combination of the volitional and ES-induced components. In this study, we developed a computational scheme to extract the volitional EMG envelope from the overall dynamic EMG signal, to serve as an input signal for control purposes, and for evaluation of muscle forces. Methods A "synthetic" database was created from in-vivo experiments on the Tibialis Anterior of the right foot to emulate hybrid EMG signals, including the volitional and induced components. The database was used to evaluate the results obtained from six signal processing schemes, including seven different modules for filtration, rectification and ES component removal. The schemes differed from each other by their module combinations, as follows: blocking window only, comb filter only, blocking window and comb filter, blocking window and peak envelope, comb filter and peak envelope and, finally, blocking window, comb filter and peak envelope. Results and conclusion The results showed that the scheme including all the modules led to an excellent approximation of the volitional EMG envelope, as extracted from the hybrid signal, and underlined the importance of the artifact blocking window module in the process. The results of this work have direct implications on the development of hybrid muscle activation rehabilitation systems for the enhancement of weakened muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Langzam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering – Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Eli Isakov
- Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center, Raanana, Israel
| | - Joseph Mizrahi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering – Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Navarro X, Krueger TB, Lago N, Micera S, Stieglitz T, Dario P. A critical review of interfaces with the peripheral nervous system for the control of neuroprostheses and hybrid bionic systems. J Peripher Nerv Syst 2006; 10:229-58. [PMID: 16221284 DOI: 10.1111/j.1085-9489.2005.10303.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 443] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Considerable scientific and technological efforts have been devoted to develop neuroprostheses and hybrid bionic systems that link the human nervous system with electronic or robotic prostheses, with the main aim of restoring motor and sensory functions in disabled patients. A number of neuroprostheses use interfaces with peripheral nerves or muscles for neuromuscular stimulation and signal recording. Herein, we provide a critical overview of the peripheral interfaces available and trace their use from research to clinical application in controlling artificial and robotic prostheses. The first section reviews the different types of non-invasive and invasive electrodes, which include surface and muscular electrodes that can record EMG signals from and stimulate the underlying or implanted muscles. Extraneural electrodes, such as cuff and epineurial electrodes, provide simultaneous interface with many axons in the nerve, whereas intrafascicular, penetrating, and regenerative electrodes may contact small groups of axons within a nerve fascicle. Biological, technological, and material science issues are also reviewed relative to the problems of electrode design and tissue injury. The last section reviews different strategies for the use of information recorded from peripheral interfaces and the current state of control neuroprostheses and hybrid bionic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Navarro
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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Lawrence SM, Dhillon GS, Jensen W, Yoshida K, Horch KW. Acute peripheral nerve recording characteristics of polymer-based longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2004; 12:345-8. [PMID: 15473197 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2004.831491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
We examined the recording characteristics of two different types of polymer-based longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (LIFEs) in peripheral nerve: single-stranded (s-polyLIFEs) and multistranded (m-polyLIFEs). Recordings were also made from Pt-Ir wire-based electrodes (PtIrLIFEs) as a control. The electrodes were implanted in either tibial or medial gastrocnemius branches of the rabbit sciatic nerve, and in the sciatic nerve of rats. Recorded neural activity induced by manually elicited afferent neural activity showed that both polyLIFE versions performed comparably to PtIrLIFEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve M Lawrence
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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Abstract
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) neuroprostheses can be used to replace lost motor and sensory function in persons with neurological disorders. FES technology has subsequently been shown effective and safe in restoring hand function in adults with spinal cord injury. The freehand system consists of an implanted receiver-stimulator, an external shoulder position sensor, and an external control unit. Commands are originated by voluntary movement of the contralateral shoulder and are measured by the sensor. There are several types of electrodes: epimysial, intramuscular, nerve cuff, and intraneural. Neuroprostheses are recommended within the context of all available reconstructive options for the upper limbs. Voluntary tendon transfers are the first choice. The clinical outcomes as measured by improvement on scales of impairment, activities of daily living, and satisfaction are rewarding. The next step in improvement of the motor function of person with spinal cord injury will be the addition of a controllable second upper extremity and the elimination of additional external hardware.
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Affiliation(s)
- M W Keith
- Orthopedics and Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland FES Center, 11000 Cedar Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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