Selective recurrent laryngeal nerve stimulation using a penetrating electrode array in the feline model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Laryngeal muscles (LMs) control vocal fold function.
• Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury can lead to vocal fold paralysis (VFP).
• Current management strategies for VFP have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a bioelectric approach for selective LM stimulation.
• To achieve graded muscle contraction responses using selective nerve stimulation.
• To assess the efficacy of a microelectrode array (MEA) in RLN stimulation.

Main Methods:

• Acute experiments were conducted on six anesthetized cats.
• A multichannel penetrating microelectrode array (MEA) was implanted into the RLN.
• Electromyographic (EMG) recordings monitored LM activity, and videolaryngoscopy visualized vocal fold movement.

Main Results:

• Selective stimulation of individual nerve fibers elicited contractions in discrete LMs.
• Increasing stimulation current resulted in graded EMG voltage responses.
• Successful selective LM activation was achieved with MEA placement and channel selection.

Conclusions:

• A penetrating MEA can selectively stimulate restricted fiber populations within the feline RLN.
• This technique can selectively elicit contractions of discrete LMs.
• Intraneural MEA implantation shows potential for VFP management.