Abstract
Sieve electrodes stand poised to deliver the selectivity required for driving advanced prosthetics but are considered inherently invasive and lack the stability required for a chronic solution. This proof of concept experiment investigates the potential for the housing and engagement of a sieve electrode within the medullary canal as part of an osseointegrated neural interface (ONI) for greater selectivity toward improving prosthetic control. The working hypotheses are that (A) the addition of a sieve interface to a cuff electrode housed within the medullary canal of the femur as part of an ONI would be capable of measuring efferent and afferent compound nerve action potentials (CNAPs) through a greater number of channels; (B) that signaling improves over time; and (C) that stimulation at this interface generates measurable cortical somatosensory evoked potentials through a greater number of channels. The modified ONI was tested in a rabbit (n = 1) amputation model over 12 weeks, comparing the sieve component to the cuff, and subsequently compared to historical data. Efferent CNAPs were successfully recorded from the sieve demonstrating physiological improvements in CNAPs between weeks 3 and 5, and somatosensory cortical responses recorded at 12 weeks postoperatively. This demonstrates that sieve electrodes can be housed and function within the medullary canal, demonstrated by improved nerve engagement and distinct cortical sensory feedback. This data presents the conceptual framework for housing more sophisticated sieve electrodes in bone as part of an ONI for improving selectivity with percutaneous connectivity toward improved prosthetic control.
Highlights
With an estimated 500 new cases every day within the United States, there is an increasing pool of amputees, living long and otherwise healthy lives (Ziegler-Graham et al, 2008; Mioton and Dumanian, 2018)
The working hypotheses are that (A) the addition of a sieve interface to a cuff electrode housed within the medullary canal of the femur as part of an osseointegrated neural interface (ONI) would be capable of measuring bi-directional compound nerve action potentials (CNAPs) through a greater number of channels; (B) that signaling improves over time; and C) that stimulation at this interface generates measurable cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) through a greater number of channels
Compound Nerve Action Potentials In this experiment, we aim to address the working hypotheses that (A) the addition of a sieve interface to a cuff electrode housed within the medullary canal of the femur as part of an ONI would be capable of measuring bi-directional CNAPs through a greater number of channels, and (B) that signaling improves over time
Summary
With an estimated 500 new cases every day within the United States, there is an increasing pool of amputees, living long and otherwise healthy lives (Ziegler-Graham et al, 2008; Mioton and Dumanian, 2018). Sieve electrodes represent a type of PNI with the greatest potential for selectivity resulting from their well-spaced specificity within the nerve. These devices involve invasive nerve transection (Navarro et al, 2005; MacEwan et al, 2016; Desai et al, 2017; Ghafoor et al, 2017), and rely on robust neural regeneration through electrode transit zones, assimilating the PNI into the nerve. It may be possible to interface the sieve array with the residual nerve end, taking advantage of the regenerative process that would otherwise lead to neuroma formation
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