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Probabilistic modeling of selective stimulation of the human sciatic nerve with a flat interface nerve electrode

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Abstract

Ankle control is critical to both standing balance and efficient walking. The hypothesis presented in this paper is that a Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) placed around the sciatic nerve with a fixed number of contacts at predetermined locations and without a priori knowledge of the nerve’s underlying neuroanatomy can selectively control each ankle motion. Models of the human sciatic nerve surrounded by a FINE of varying size were created and used to calculate the probability of selective activation of axons within any arbitrarily designated, contiguous group of fascicles. Simulations support the hypothesis and suggest that currently available implantable technology cannot selectively recruit each target plantar flexor individually but can restore plantar flexion or dorsiflexion from a site on the sciatic nerve without spillover to antagonists. Successful activation of individual ankle muscles in 90% of the population can be achieved by utilizing bipolar stimulation and/or by using a cuff with at least 20 contacts.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health R01-EB1899, Training Grant TRN505006, and by the Advanced Platform Technology (APT) Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (A6791C). The authors would like to thank Dr. Musa Audu and Mr. Arden Bartlett for facilitating parallel simulations, to Dr. Kenneth Gustafson for providing histology, and Dr. Michael Schiefer for running logistical regressions on approximately 60,000,000 data points.

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  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Matthew A. Schiefer, Dustin J. Tyler & Ronald J. Triolo

  2. Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (LSCDVAMC), 151AW/APT, 10701 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Matthew A. Schiefer, Dustin J. Tyler & Ronald J. Triolo

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Ronald J. Triolo

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  1. Matthew A. Schiefer
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Correspondence to Matthew A. Schiefer.

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Schiefer, M.A., Tyler, D.J. & Triolo, R.J. Probabilistic modeling of selective stimulation of the human sciatic nerve with a flat interface nerve electrode. J Comput Neurosci 33, 179–190 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10827-011-0381-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10827-011-0381-5

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