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Targeted Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Phantom Limb Sensory Feedback.
Luke Osborn1, Matthew Fifer2, Courtney Moran2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
Summary
This study shows transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can provide graded sensory feedback for amputees, even without targeted sensory reinnervation (TSR). This breakthrough enables more intuitive prosthetic limbs by restoring a sense of touch.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Technology
Background:
- Restoring sensory feedback is crucial for advanced prosthetic limb development.
- Current prosthetic technology often lacks the ability to provide tactile sensation to amputee users.
- Targeted sensory reinnervation (TSR) is one approach to improve sensory feedback, but its effectiveness varies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of noninvasive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for providing sensory feedback to amputees.
- To determine the optimal parameters (amplitude, pulse width, frequency) of TENS for reliable sensory perception.
- To develop and test a closed-loop system integrating TENS with prosthetic hand sensors for graded sensory feedback.
Main Methods:
- Noninvasive TENS was applied to peripheral nerves in two amputees (one with TSR, one without).
- Psychophysical testing was conducted to determine perceptual thresholds for TENS parameters.
- A leaky integrate and fire (LIF) neuron model was used to translate prosthetic hand sensor data into subject-specific TENS patterns.
Main Results:
- Both participants reliably detected TENS patterns with pulse widths under 1 ms.
- TENS successfully provided graded sensory feedback at multiple stimulation sites for both participants.
- The developed system demonstrated the ability to tune neuromorphic stimulation patterns based on prosthetic hand force sensor output.
Conclusions:
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a viable method for delivering graded sensory feedback to amputees, irrespective of targeted sensory reinnervation (TSR) status.
- Subject-specific TENS parameter optimization, informed by psychophysical data and neuromorphic modeling, enhances sensory feedback efficacy.
- This research represents a significant advancement in creating closed-loop prosthetic systems that restore a sense of touch for amputee users.
