peripheral nerve field stimulation

The spectral analysis of the spontaneous activity recorded with an electrode positioned near the round window of the guinea pig cochlea shows a broad energy peak between 800 and 1,000 Hz. This spontaneous electric activity is called round window noise or ensemble background activity. In guinea pigs, the proposed origin of this peak is the random sum of the extracellular field potentials generated by action potentials of auditory nerve neurons. In this study, we used a non-invasive method to record the tympanic electric noise (TEN) in humans by means of a tympanic wick electrode...

BACKGROUND: Intra-neural microstimulation (INMS) is a technique that allows the precise delivery of low-current electrical pulses into human peripheral nerves. Single unit INMS can be used to stimulate individual afferent nerve fibres during microneurography. Combining this with neuroimaging allows the unique monitoring of central nervous system activation in response to unitary, controlled tactile input, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) providing exquisite spatial localisation of brain activity and magnetoencephalography (MEG) high temporal resolution...

Rapid switching of applied magnetic fields in the kilohertz frequency range in the human body induces electric fields powerful enough to cause Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS). PNS has become one of the main constraints on the use of high gradient fields for fast imaging with the latest MRI gradient technology. In recent MRI gradients, the applied fields are powerful enough that PNS limits their application in fast imaging sequences like echo-planar imaging. Application of Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) to humans is similarly PNS constrained...

Neural activity plays a critical role in the development of central circuits in sensory systems. However, the maintenance of these circuits at adulthood is usually not dependent on sensory-elicited neural activity. Recent work in the mouse gustatory system showed that selectively deleting the primary transduction channel for sodium taste, the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), throughout development dramatically impacted the organization of the central terminal fields of three nerves that carry taste information to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST)...

BACKGROUND: Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) is a form of therapy that creates painless stimulation of deep muscle structures to improve motor function in people with physical impairment from brain or nerve disorders. Use of rPMS for people after stroke has been identified as a feasible approach to improve activities of daily living and functional ability. However, no systematic reviews have assessed the findings of available trials. The effect and safety of this intervention for people after stroke currently remain uncertain...

Electrocochleography (EcochG), incorporating the Cochlear Microphonic (CM), the Summating Potential (SP), and the cochlear Compound Action Potential (CAP), has been used to study cochlear function in humans and experimental animals since the 1930s, providing a simple objective tool to assess both hair cell (HC) and nerve sensitivity. The vestibular equivalent of ECochG, termed here Electrovestibulography (EVestG), incorporates responses of the vestibular HCs and nerve. Few research groups have utilized EVestG to study vestibular function...

Electric stimulation of the auditory nerve by cochlear implants has been a successful clinical intervention to treat the sensory neural deafness. In this pathological condition of the cochlea, type-1 spiral ganglion neurons in Rosenthal's canal play a vital role in the action potential initiation. Various morphological studies of the human temporal bones suggest that the spiral ganglion neurons are surrounded by heterogeneous structures formed by a variety of cells and tissues. However, the existing simulation models have not considered the tissue heterogeneity in the Rosenthal's canal while studying the electric field interaction with spiral ganglion neurons...

BACKGROUND: During the last two decades, extensive interaction between clinicians and engineers has led to the development of systems that stimulate neural plasticity to optimize motor recovery after neurological lesions. This has resulted in the expansion of the field of robotics for rehabilitation. Studies in patients with stroke-related upper-limb paresis have shown that robotic rehabilitation can improve motor capacity. However, few other applications have been evaluated (e.g. tremor, peripheral nerve injuries or other neurological diseases)...

From time to time it is thoughtful and productive to review a medical field and reflect upon what are the major issues that need to be addressed and what is being done to do so. This review article is not meant to be all-inclusive but rather focuses on four evolving areas in the field of peripheral nerve disorders and treatments: (1) nerve surgery under ultrasound guidance using a new ultra-minimally invasive thread technique; (2) evolving magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound imaging techniques that are helping to both diagnose and treat a variety of peripheral nerve problems including entrapment neuropathies, traumatic nerve injuries, and masses arising from nerves; (3) promoting recovery after nerve injury using electrical stimulation; and (4) developing animal models to reproduce a severe nerve injury (neurotmetic grade in continuity) that requires a surgical intervention and repair...

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture points (APs) have been emphasized as key elements that generate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. At the spinal cord or supraspinal level, sensory neurons located in the dorsal horn receive an extensive supply of sensory information from skin and muscle receptors through peripheral afferent nerves. The stimulated skin area that influences the activity of a spinal sensory neuron is known as the peripheral receptive field (RF) of that neuron. By considering that a particular AP location involves the activation of one or various RFs, it can be assumed that several sensory central neurons are the site of convergence of the peripheral input generated by acupuncture stimulation...

Guidelines for prevention of peripheral nerve stimulation from exposure to low frequency magnetic fields have been developed by standard-setting bodies. Exposure limits or reference levels (RLs) are typically set in terms of the maximum root-mean-square amplitude of a sinusoidal waveform; however, environmental flux densities are often periodic, non-sinusoidal waveforms. This work presents a procedure for deriving RLs for any generalized periodic waveform using the empirical nerve-stimulation threshold data obtained from human volunteer MRI experiments...

Circadian rhythm (CR) plays a critical role in the treatment of several diseases. However, the role of CR in the treatment of peripheral nerve defects has not been studied. It is also known that the pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) can provide a beneficial microenvironment to quicken the process of nerve regeneration and to enhance the quality of reconstruction. In this study, we evaluate the impact of CR on the promoting effect of PEMF on peripheral nerve regeneration in rats. We used the self-made "collagen-chitosan" nerve conduits to bridge the 15-mm nerve gaps in Sprague-Dawley rats...

Considerable progress has been made in the last decade in implantable bioelectronic neurosystems. Yet most neural implants are used in acute and tethered experimental conditions. Here, we present a preliminary prototype of a multichannel system for simultaneous peripheral nerve stimulation and neural recording. The system comprises miniaturized electronics with a total volume of less then 1.4cm3 including a 3.7V battery which is expected to last for 94 days of standby operation or 18 hours of continuous recording and stimulation...

The parafascicular nucleus (PFN) of the thalamus is a primary structure in the feedback circuit of the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical system, as well as in the neural circuit of the vestibulo-thalamo-striatal pathway. We investigated the characteristics of the functional connectivity between the peripheral vestibular system and the PFN in rats. A single electrical stimulation was applied to the horizontal semicircular canal nerve in the peripheral vestibular end-organs. This resulted in polysynaptic local field potentials (LFPs) in the PFN, which were composed of long-lasting multiple waves...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to focus on an excruciating disorder of the face, named atypical facial pain or persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP). It is considered an underdiagnosed condition with limited treatment options. Facial pain can be a debilitating disorder that affects patients' quality of life. Up to 26% of the general population has suffered from facial pain at some point in their lives. It is important to highlight the different types of facial pain to be able to properly manage this condition accordingly...

Considerable progress has been made in the last decade in implantable bioelectronic neurosystems. Yet most neural implants are used in acute and tethered experimental conditions. Here, we present a preliminary prototype of a multichannel system for simultaneous peripheral nerve stimulation and neural recording. The system comprises miniaturized electronics with a total volume of less then 1.4cm(3) including a 3.7V battery which is expected to last for 94 days of standby operation or 18 hours of continuous recording and stimulation...

Currently, the gold standard to repair large nerve defects is the autologous nerve graft. These solutions offer a mechanical support, adhesion substrates, and, with Schwann cells (SC), a source of neurotropic factors for axonal growth. The technical limits are the donor side damage, multiple surgical accesses, and the unavailability of large amounts of grafts. In recent years, several researchers focused their attention on the interaction between cells (nervous and glial) and physic-chemical cues that arise from the extracellular milieu...

Chronic abdominal wall pain is a well-documented complication of abdominal surgery. However, abdominal wall complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare medical condition. We present a case of abdominal wall CRPS and its treatment with peripheral nerve field stimulation (PNfS). A 34-year-old female presented with right periumbilical pain for 2 years. She developed burning, sharp and stabbing pain with allodynia (extremely sensitive to wind and light touch) and erythema or pallor 2 weeks after an exploratory appendectomy...

For clinical application of transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS), it is important to achieve a focal target cortical stimulation. Previous study suggested that the associative stimulation combining non-invasive stimulation of the motor cortex (M1) and the peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) may be useful to produce cortical excitability change. To test this hypothesis, we measured the M1 excitability and intracortical circuits by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after the tSMS of short duration (5 min) combined with PNS...

Ultra High Field (UHF) MRI requires improved gradient and shim performance to fully realize the promised gains (SNR as well as spatial, spectral, diffusion resolution) that higher main magnetic fields offer. Both the more challenging UHF environment by itself, as well as the higher currents used in high performance coils, require a deeper understanding combined with sophisticated engineering modeling and construction, to optimize gradient and shim hardware for safe operation and for highest image quality. This review summarizes the basics of gradient and shim technologies, and outlines a number of UHF-related challenges and solutions...