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Generating artificial sensations with spinal cord stimulation in primates and rodents
Amol P Yadav1, Shuangyan Li2, Max O Krucoff3
1Department 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.
Brain Stimulation
|May 20, 2021
Summary
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can restore sensation after neurological injury. Research shows SCS parameters like frequency and duration influence detection, suggesting potential for intuitive sensory feedback in neuroprosthetics.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Sensory Restoration
Background:
- Neurological injuries like spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, and amputation can lead to loss of sensory function.
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) offers a potential pathway to restore somatic sensations through non-visual means.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the detectability and discriminability of epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) patterns in animal models.
- To establish psychometric relationships between SCS parameters and sensory perception.
- To assess the potential of SCS for providing intuitive sensory feedback in neuroprosthetic applications.
Main Methods:
- Rhesus monkeys and rats were trained to detect and discriminate patterns of epidural SCS.
- Psychometric curves were constructed to analyze the relationship between SCS parameters (frequency, pulse-width, duration, location) and detection/discrimination abilities.
- Weber's law was applied to analyze sensory discrimination in rats.
Main Results:
- Stimulus detection threshold for SCS decreased with increased frequency, pulse-width, and duration.
- Monkeys successfully discriminated temporally and spatially varying SCS patterns delivered via multiple electrodes.
- Sensory discrimination of SCS-induced sensations in rats followed Weber's law.
Conclusions:
- Varying SCS intensity, temporal patterns, and electrode location can evoke distinct sensory experiences.
- Spinal cord stimulation shows promise as a method for delivering intuitive sensory feedback in neuroprosthetic devices.
- These findings support the development of SCS-based neuroprosthetics for restoring sensation.
