Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss
Individuals with upper limb loss lack sensation of the missing hand, which can negatively impact their daily function. Several groups have attempted to restore this sensation through electrical stimulation of residual nerves. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of regenerative perip...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10373129/ |
| _version_ | 1797348048212328448 |
|---|---|
| author | Michael A. Gonzalez Chinwendu Nwokeabia Alex K. Vaskov Philip P. Vu Charles W. Lu Parag G. Patil Paul S. Cederna Cynthia A. Chestek Deanna H. Gates |
| author_facet | Michael A. Gonzalez Chinwendu Nwokeabia Alex K. Vaskov Philip P. Vu Charles W. Lu Parag G. Patil Paul S. Cederna Cynthia A. Chestek Deanna H. Gates |
| author_sort | Michael A. Gonzalez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Individuals with upper limb loss lack sensation of the missing hand, which can negatively impact their daily function. Several groups have attempted to restore this sensation through electrical stimulation of residual nerves. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNIs) in eliciting referred sensation. In four participants with upper limb loss, we characterized the quality and location of sensation elicited through electrical stimulation of RPNIs over time. We also measured functional stimulation ranges (sensory perception and discomfort thresholds), sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, and ability to differentiate objects of different stiffness and sizes. Over a period of up to 54 months, stimulation of RPNIs elicited sensations that were consistent in quality (e.g. tingling, kinesthesia) and were perceived in the missing hand and forearm. The location of elicited sensation was partially-stable to stable in 13 of 14 RPNIs. For 5 of 7 RPNIs tested, participants demonstrated a sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, with an average just noticeable difference of 45 nC. In a case study, one participant was provided RPNI stimulation proportional to prosthetic grip force. She identified four objects of different sizes and stiffness with 56% accuracy with stimulation alone and 100% accuracy when stimulation was combined with visual feedback of hand position. Collectively, these experiments suggest that RPNIs have the potential to be used in future bi-directional prosthetic systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:57:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c680c7e0faf24bf9a6db0107d1fc7b9a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1558-0210 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:57:51Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-c680c7e0faf24bf9a6db0107d1fc7b9a2024-01-24T00:00:03ZengIEEEIEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering1558-02102024-01-013233934910.1109/TNSRE.2023.334516410373129Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb LossMichael A. Gonzalez0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0292-3805Chinwendu Nwokeabia1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5899-4878Alex K. Vaskov2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2336-9877Philip P. Vu3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-7481Charles W. Lu4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0673-7452Parag G. Patil5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2300-6136Paul S. Cederna6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6756-7197Cynthia A. Chestek7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9671-7051Deanna H. Gates8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6086-0913Department of Robotics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Robotics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USASchool of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USAIndividuals with upper limb loss lack sensation of the missing hand, which can negatively impact their daily function. Several groups have attempted to restore this sensation through electrical stimulation of residual nerves. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNIs) in eliciting referred sensation. In four participants with upper limb loss, we characterized the quality and location of sensation elicited through electrical stimulation of RPNIs over time. We also measured functional stimulation ranges (sensory perception and discomfort thresholds), sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, and ability to differentiate objects of different stiffness and sizes. Over a period of up to 54 months, stimulation of RPNIs elicited sensations that were consistent in quality (e.g. tingling, kinesthesia) and were perceived in the missing hand and forearm. The location of elicited sensation was partially-stable to stable in 13 of 14 RPNIs. For 5 of 7 RPNIs tested, participants demonstrated a sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, with an average just noticeable difference of 45 nC. In a case study, one participant was provided RPNI stimulation proportional to prosthetic grip force. She identified four objects of different sizes and stiffness with 56% accuracy with stimulation alone and 100% accuracy when stimulation was combined with visual feedback of hand position. Collectively, these experiments suggest that RPNIs have the potential to be used in future bi-directional prosthetic systems.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10373129/Sensory feedbackprosthesiselectrical stimulationamputation |
| spellingShingle | Michael A. Gonzalez Chinwendu Nwokeabia Alex K. Vaskov Philip P. Vu Charles W. Lu Parag G. Patil Paul S. Cederna Cynthia A. Chestek Deanna H. Gates Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering Sensory feedback prosthesis electrical stimulation amputation |
| title | Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss |
| title_full | Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss |
| title_fullStr | Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss |
| title_short | Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss |
| title_sort | electrical stimulation of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces rpnis induces referred sensations in people with upper limb loss |
| topic | Sensory feedback prosthesis electrical stimulation amputation |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10373129/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelagonzalez electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT chinwendunwokeabia electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT alexkvaskov electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT philippvu electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT charleswlu electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT paraggpatil electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT paulscederna electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT cynthiaachestek electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss AT deannahgates electricalstimulationofregenerativeperipheralnerveinterfacesrpnisinducesreferredsensationsinpeoplewithupperlimbloss |