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Design of an adaptable intrafascicular electrode (AIR) for selective nerve stimulation by model-based optimization
Federico Ciotti1, Andrea Cimolato1, Giacomo Valle1
1Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Plos Computational Biology
|May 25, 2023
Summary
A novel adaptable intrafascicular radial (AIR) electrode was designed using computational models for peripheral nerve stimulation. The AIR electrode offers improved selectivity and reduced invasiveness compared to existing devices for treating various dysfunctions.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is a therapeutic approach for various clinical conditions.
- Current PNS devices face limitations in efficacy, safety, surgical complexity, and invasiveness.
- There is a clinical need for advanced neural interfaces to overcome these challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and computationally evaluate a novel neural interface, the adaptable intrafascicular radial (AIR) electrode.
- To optimize the AIR electrode for pudendal and sacral nerves, targeting sexual, bladder, and bowel dysfunctions.
- To assess the AIR electrode's performance against state-of-the-art devices in terms of selectivity and invasiveness.
Main Methods:
- Development of realistic computational models incorporating human anatomy, nerve biophysics, and axon trajectories.
- Design of the AIR electrode featuring a flexible substrate, active sites, and radially inserted needles.
- In-silico comparison of the AIR electrode with InterStim leads, multipolar cuffs, and TIME electrodes.
Main Results:
- The AIR electrode demonstrated superior recruitment threshold and stimulation selectivity compared to cuff electrodes and InterStim leads.
- AIR exhibited comparable or better performance than TIME electrodes with reduced invasiveness.
- The AIR electrode showed adaptability to varying nerve sizes and shapes while maintaining high selectivity.
Conclusions:
- The model-based design approach enabled the development of the AIR electrode with high predicted performance.
- The AIR electrode shows significant potential to address clinical needs for effective and less invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.
- This technology is applicable for optimizing electrode parameters in diverse peripheral nerve stimulation scenarios.
