Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Provides Sensations to the Missing Hand of Individuals With Upper Limb...

Restoring sensory function post amputation remains a major challenge. Peripheral nerve stimulation and targeted reinnervation may partially restore somatotopic feedback, but their need for surgery hinders widespread adoption. Here, we investigate the feasibility of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) as a non-invasive approach for sensory restoration in upper-limb amputees. In a study involving seventeen able-bodied participants and five individuals with upper-limb amputation, we show that tSCS can evoke a range of sensations, including touch, tapping, vibration, and movement, perceived as originating from the missing limb. Notably, these perceptions were primarily isolated to the missing limb and absent in the residual limb in 98% of trials. Participants with amputations found tSCS tolerable, with some reporting increased comfort during stimulation. tSCS evoked sensations in the fingertips of 93% of able-bodied participants, though these were mainly paraesthetic. We further characterised how stimulation parameters, including electrode placement, carrier frequency, and burst frequency, modulated the quality and type of perceived sensations. Additionally, we show that tSCS maintained force proprioception necessary for effective prosthesis control. These findings support the potential of tSCS as a non-invasive sensory feedback approach for upper-limb prosthesis users.