Axonal stimulation affects the linear summation of single-point perception in three Argus II users

Retinal implants use electrical stimulation to elicit perceived flashes of light ("phosphenes"). Single-electrode phosphene shape has been shown to vary systematically with stimulus parameters and the retinal location of the stimulating electrode, due to incidental activation of passing nerve fiber bundles. However, this knowledge has yet to be extended to paired-electrode stimulation.

We retrospectively analyzed 3548 phosphene drawings made by three blind participants implanted with an Argus II Retinal Prosthesis. Phosphene shape (characterized by area, perimeter, major and minor axis length) and number of perceived phosphenes were averaged across trials and correlated with the corresponding single-electrode parameters. In addition, the number of phosphenes was correlated with stimulus amplitude and neuroanatomical parameters: electrode-retina and electrode-fovea distance as well as the electrode-electrode distance to ("between-axon") and along axon bundles ("along-axon"). Statistical analyses were conducted using linear regression and partial correlation analysis.

Simple regression revealed that each paired-electrode shape descriptor could be predicted by the sum of the two corresponding single-electrode shape descriptors (p < .001). Multiple regression revealed that paired-electrode phosphene shape was primarily predicted by stimulus amplitude and electrode-fovea distance (p < .05). Interestingly, the number of elicited phosphenes tended to increase with between-axon distance (p < .05), but not with along-axon distance, in two out of three participants.

The shape of phosphenes elicited by paired-electrode stimulation was well predicted by the shape of their corresponding single-electrode phosphenes, suggesting that two-point perception can be expressed as the linear summation of single-point perception. The notable impact of the between-axon distance on the perceived number of phosphenes provides further evidence in support of the axon map model for epiretinal stimulation. These findings contribute to the growing literature on phosphene perception and have important implications for the design of future retinal prostheses.