Abstract
In this paper various types of electrodes for stimulation and recording activity of peripheral nerves for the control of neuroprosthetic limbs are reviewed. First, an overview of interface devices for (feedback-) controlled movement of a prosthetic device is given, after which the focus is on peripheral nervous system (PNS) electrodes. Important electrode properties, i.e., longevity and spatial resolution, are defined based upon the usability for neuroprostheses. The cuff electrode, longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (LIFE), transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrode (TIME), Utah slanted electrode array (USEA), and the regenerative electrode are discussed and assessed on their longevity and spatial resolution. The cuff electrode seems to be a promising electrode for the control of neuroprostheses in the near future, because it shows the best longevity and good spatial resolution and it has been used on human subjects in multiple studies. The other electrodes may be promising in the future, but further research on their longevity and spatial resolution is needed. A more quantitatively uniform study protocol used for all electrodes would allow for a proper comparison of recording and stimulation performance. For example, the discussed electrodes could be compared in a large in vivo study, using one uniform comparison protocol.
Highlights
Limb amputation is a procedure performed on thousands of patients each year, with lower limb amputation mainly performed in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients and trauma [incidence of 5.1–200 per 105 population per year (Moxey et al, 2011)] and upper limb amputation mainly after traumatic limb damage [5 per 105 population per year (Winkler, 2009)], immensely affecting the lives of those involved
The approaches can be roughly subdivided into central nervous system (CNS) based control and peripheral nervous system (PNS) based control of the prosthesis (Warren et al, 2016)
The peripheral nerve electrodes can be divided into three categories, surface electrodes (Cuff electrodes), penetrating electrodes (LIFE, transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrode (TIME) and Utah slanted electrode array (USEA)) and regenerative electrodes
Summary
Limb amputation is a procedure performed on thousands of patients each year, with lower limb amputation mainly performed in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients and trauma [incidence of 5.1–200 per 105 population per year (Moxey et al, 2011)] and upper limb amputation mainly after traumatic limb damage [5 per 105 population per year (Winkler, 2009)], immensely affecting the lives of those involved. The lack of sensory feedback emphasizes the need for high-quality recording and stimulation electrodes to more natural control of the prosthesis (Biddiss and Chau, 2007). Peripheral Nerve Electrodes for Neuroprosthetics prosthesis control are out of the scope of this review. The main advantage of the EMG-based prosthesis is that it requires non-invasively or minimally invasively obtained EMGsignals as motor input This approach offers a limited number of active degrees of freedom (Ciancio et al, 2016). ENG electrodes provide selective recording from and stimulation to peripheral nerves. This allows for precise feedback-aided control of a prosthesis, mimicking actual feedback control of muscles in a healthy subject (Ciancio et al, 2016). Placing a large amount of electrodes might be undesirable and a high spatial resolution to limit the amount of electrodes is preferred
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