Selectivity of Peripheral Neural Interfaces

Abstract

The peripheral nerve interface provides a connection between the peripheral nerve cells in our bodies and neuroprosthetic devices. It is important to consider and assess how well different types of neural interfaces selectively access specific nerve fibers. This chapter first provides a background for understanding the importance of selectivity by introducing two examples of neural prosthesis applications, and reviews the state of the art of methods for quantitatively assessing selectivity. Second, it defines four success criteria for evaluating selectivity, and provides specific results from an experimental study for comparing the selectivity performance of two intraneural peripheral electrodes (thin-film longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (tfLIFE) and the transverse, intrafascicular multichannel electrode (TIME) interfaces) placed in the median nerve in the forelimb of pigs. It is shown that the design and placement of the electrode must be carefully considered before choosing a neural interface for a specific neural prosthesis application.