Eliciting tactile sensations in the hand through non-invasive proximal nerve stimulation: a feasibility study.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7704869 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1741-0444 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01400118 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Med Biol Eng Comput Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: New York, NY : Springer
Original Publication: Stevenage, Eng., Peregrinus.

Hand*/physiology ; Touch*; Humans ; Male ; Feasibility Studies ; Arm ; Electric Stimulation

Recently, non-invasive proximal nerve stimulation has been widely investigated to restore tactile sensations. It has been demonstrated that tactile sensations in the hand could be elicited by nerve stimulation on the upper arm. However, it is still unknown whether tactile sensations could be elicited by stimulation at a proximal location close to the neck. In this study, non-invasive proximal nerve stimulation tests were performed to elicit tactile sensations in the hand of subjects. Six Ag/AgCl gel electrodes (2 × 3) were placed on the supraclavicular fossa where the proximal parts of the brachial plexus nerves were located. Then, fifteen potential electrode pairs were tested to explore whether tactile sensations could be elicited by non-invasive proximal nerve stimulation. Eight able-bodied subjects (male) were recruited to participate in the test. The stimulated sensation regions in the hand and the sensory intensity were reported and recorded during the experiment. The results demonstrated that the tactile sensations in various regions in the hand could be elicited through non-invasive nerve stimulation at the proximal location close to the neck.
(© 2023. International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.)

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52005364 National Natural Science Foundation of China; 52122501 National Natural Science Foundation of China

Keywords: Absolute threshold; Brachial plexus nerves; Non-invasive proximal nerve stimulation; Tactile sensations

Date Created: 20230918 Date Completed: 20231225 Latest Revision: 20231225

20231225

10.1007/s11517-023-02923-x

37721698