Topic: Peripheral nerve stimulation

Sensory prosthesis research has advanced at a rapid pace, yet standard stimulation pulse shapes have remained largely unchanged. Most prostheses typically utilize symmetric pulses to deliver electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves. Recent neurophysiological studies, however, have shown that these symmetric pulses do not always reliably evoke firings in stimulated afferents, thus impeding optimal restoration of sensory inputs to the brain. One promising strategy is the use of alternative pulse waveforms---specifically, asymmetric pulses, characterized by a brief, high-amplitude cathodic pha

Figure 1: High-frequency burst stimulation (left) triggers compound action potentials (CAP, right inset) in the medial giant fiber of the earthworm.Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) are a cornerstone of modern bioelectronic interventions aiming at providing targeted therapies for various conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy or chronic inflammation. Standard neuromodulation approaches mostly use mono- or bi-phasic pulses with varying amplitudes and intervals to deliver electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves via mono-, bi-, or tri-polar electrodes to