Towards dual modality nerve assessment using electrical and optical techniques

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of acquiring fast optical response signals from the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and specifically to obtain knowledge about the sensory response of the median nerve through comparing electrophysiological responses with those obtained with a single photon counting system. Nerve potentials have been well studied so the primary purpose of this investigation is to better understand the conditions required for recording the optical analogue of this signal. Such action potential-correlated optical signals have been termed 'fast optical evoked responses' and their measurement in-vivo has hitherto proved fraught with difficulty. As yet measurement of these signals has been confined to evoked potential studies in the brain and so far there is no repeatable, confirmed procedure for their robust acquisition. In this work it is suggested that perhaps an easier route to acquire these elusive optical signals is through evoked potential studies centred on the PNS as opposed to the brain. Preliminary results suggest it is possible to correlate both data and draw important information from it although the most important contribution of this paper is the principle of directing the search for robust fast optical signals to the peripheral nervous system as opposed to the brain.