Abstract
Abstract The present aim was to investigate transcutaneous facial muscle stimulation in order to take further steps in developing facial pacing technology, which can offer a new treatment option for patients with unilateral facial paralysis. This technology ultimately measures muscle activations from one side of the face and simultaneously activates the corresponding muscles of the other side with electrical stimulation. Four facial muscle locations—frontalis, orbicularis oculi, zygomaticus major, and orbicularis oris—of the healthy participants (N = 24) were stimulated to produce an eyebrow raise, eye blink, smile, and lip pucker, respectively. The results showed that a visually observable movement of the forehead and the lower lip was achieved in all participants. On average, the stimulations at the movement threshold were rated as tolerable in terms of pain ratings and neutral in terms of pleasantness ratings. Complete eye blink was achieved in 22 participants, and most did not experience painful sensations. The stimulation of the cheek evoked observable movement in 23 participants, but the stimulation also often resulted in concurrent activation of the eye, mouth, and nose area. The results suggest that transcutaneous stimulation seems to be a promising method for developing further facial pacing technology.
Highlights
Unilateral facial paralysis is a condition in which one side of the face functions normally while functions on the other side are impaired and in which the face may look asymmetrical at rest
The most common form of unilateral facial paralysis is Bell’s palsy [1]. It is termed as idiopathic facial paralysis, which means the cause of paralysis is unknown
The present study investigated how electrical stimulation can evoke an eyebrow raise, a smile, a lip pucker, and an eye blink, as well as what the subjective experiences are in respect to the stimulations
Summary
Unilateral facial paralysis is a condition in which one side of the face functions normally while functions on the other side are impaired and in which the face may look asymmetrical at rest. The most common form of unilateral facial paralysis is Bell’s palsy [1]. It is termed as idiopathic facial paralysis, which means the cause of paralysis is unknown. The annual prevalence for Bell’s palsy is 20–30 cases per 100,000, affecting about one in 60–70 people in their lifetime [1,2,3]. About 70% of patients have full recovery within three months, but the other 30% are left with facial dysfunctionalities of varying degrees [4]. In addition to Bell’s palsy, other causes of facial paralysis that more frequently lead to long lasting or permanent facial dysfunctionalities include trauma, infections (e.g., borreliosis and herpes zoster), tumor diseases, surgical interventions, and congenital paralysis
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