Preparing your figures for…:Publication: mastering the show in Scientific ‘Show and Tells’

Taking your data and creating a figure to illustrate your findings is a key part of scientific research dissemination; images can convey complex ideas far more easily than language. But when putting your figures together, you should consider the audience you are preparing your images for – here we outline how you can prepare your figures to best address their individual needs</p

Interferential Current Stimulation for Non-Invasive Somatotopic Sensory Feedback for Upper-Limb Prosthesis: Simulation Results using a Computable Human Phantom

The addition of sensory feedback to upper-limb prostheses has been shown to improve several aspects of the user experience. In an attempt to create an intuitive sensory feedback method, transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the stump has been used to elicit referred sensation in the phantom hand by stimulating the underlying nerves. However, the sensation at the electrodes is always reported due to the stimulation of mechanoreceptors. This work investigates the use of interferential stimulation (the superposition of two kilohertz-frequency stimulation currents to form a low-frequency envelope stimulation waveform) to produce focused and selective stimulation that reduces the sensation at the electrodes. A computable human arm phantom model was used to analyse the electric fields created by interferential stimulation against those created by low-frequency stimulation. The results support the assumption that interferential stimulation could result in reduced sensation at the electrode. However, they did not show benefits in terms of penetration at the frequency range considered. In fact, the results suggest that slightly higher currents may be require

Sensory Feedback for Upper-Limb Prostheses:Opportunities and Barriers

The addition of sensory feedback to upper-limb prostheses has been shown to improve control, increase embodiment, and reduce phantom limb pain. However, most commercial prostheses do not incorporate sensory feedback due to several factors. This paper focuses on the major challenges of a lack of deep understanding of user needs, the unavailability of tailored, realistic outcome measures and the segregation between research on control and sensory feedback. The use of methods such as the Person-Based Approach and co-creation can improve the design and testing process. Stronger collaboration between researchers can integrate different prostheses research areas to accelerate the translation process

A comparison of extraneural approaches for selective recording in the peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system is a key target for the development of neural interfaces. However, recording from the peripheral nerves can be challenging especially when chronic implantation is desired. Nerve cuffs are frequently employed using either two or three contacts to provide a single recording channel. Advancements in manufacturing technology have enabled multi-contact cuffs, enabling measurement of both temporal (i.e., velocity) and spatial information (i.e., spatial location). Selective techniques have been developed with different time resolutions but it is unclear how the number of contacts and their spatial configuration affect their performance. Thus, this paper investigates two extraneural recording techniques (LDA and spatiotemporal signatures) and compares them using recordings made from the sciatic nerve of rats using high density (HD, 56 contact), reduced-HD (16 contacts), and low density (LD, 16 contact) datasets. Performance of the two techniques was evaluated using classification accuracy and F1-score. Both techniques show an expected improvement in classification accuracy with the spatiotemporal signature approach showing a 21.6 (LD to HD) - 24.6% (reduced HD to HD) increase and the LDA approach showing a 2.9 (reduced HD to HD) - 41.3% (LD to HD) increase and had comparable results in both the LD and HD datasets.</p

Tutorial: A guide to techniques for analysing recordings from the peripheral nervous system

The nervous system, through a combination of conscious and automatic processes, enables the regulation of the body and its interactions with the environment. The peripheral nervous system is an excellent target for technologies that seek to modulate, restore or enhance these abilities as it carries sensory and motor information that most directly relates to a target organ or function. However, many applications require a combination of both an effective peripheral nerve interface and effective signal processing techniques to provide selective and stable recordings. While there are many reviews on the design of peripheral nerve interfaces, reviews of data analysis techniques and translational considerations are limited. Thus, this tutorial aims to support new and existing researchers in the understanding of the general guiding principles, and introduces a taxonomy for electrode configurations, techniques and translational models to consider

A comparison of extraneural approaches for selective recording in the peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system is a key target for the development of neural interfaces. However, recording from the peripheral nerves can be challenging especially when chronic implantation is desired. Nerve cuffs are frequently employed using either two or three contacts to provide a single recording channel. Advancements in manufacturing technology have enabled multi-contact cuffs, enabling measurement of both temporal (i.e., velocity) and spatial information (i.e., spatial location). Selective techniques have been developed with different time resolutions but it is unclear how the number of contacts and their spatial configuration affect their performance. Thus, this paper investigates two extraneural recording techniques (LDA and spatiotemporal signatures) and compares them using recordings made from the sciatic nerve of rats using high density (HD, 56 contact), reduced-HD (16 contacts), and low density (LD, 16 contact) datasets. Performance of the two techniques was evaluated using classification accuracy and F1-score. Both techniques show an expected improvement in classification accuracy with the spatiotemporal signature approach showing a 21.6 (LD to HD) - 24.6% (reduced HD to HD) increase and the LDA approach showing a 2.9 (reduced HD to HD) - 41.3% (LD to HD) increase and had comparable results in both the LD and HD datasets.</p

An in-vitro system for closed loop neuromodulation of peripheral nerves

Current neuromodulation research relies heavily on in-vivo animal experiments for developing novel devices and paradigms, which can be costly, time-consuming, and ethically contentious. As an alternative to this, in-vitro systems are being developed for examining explanted tissue in a controlled environment. However, these systems are typically tailored for cellular studies. Thus, this paper describes the development of an in-vitro system for electrically recording and stimulating large animal nerves. This is demonstrated experimentally using explanted pig ulnar nerves, which show evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) when stimulated. These eCAPs were examined both in the time and velocity domain at a baseline temperature of 20° C, and at temperatures increasing up to those seen in-vivo (37°C). The results highlight that as the temperature is increased within the in-vitro system, faster conduction velocities (CVs) similar to those present in-vivo can be observed. To our knowledge, this is the first time an in-vitro peripheral nerve system has been validated against in-vivo data, which is crucial for promoting more widespread adoption of such systems for the optimisation of neural interfaces

Preparing your figures for…:Publication: mastering the show in Scientific ‘Show and Tells’

Taking your data and creating a figure to illustrate your findings is a key part of scientific research dissemination; images can convey complex ideas far more easily than language. But when putting your figures together, you should consider the audience you are preparing your images for – here we outline how you can prepare your figures to best address their individual needs</p

Interferential Current Stimulation for Non-Invasive Somatotopic Sensory Feedback for Upper-Limb Prosthesis: Simulation Results using a Computable Human Phantom

The addition of sensory feedback to upper-limb prostheses has been shown to improve several aspects of the user experience. In an attempt to create an intuitive sensory feedback method, transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the stump has been used to elicit referred sensation in the phantom hand by stimulating the underlying nerves. However, the sensation at the electrodes is always reported due to the stimulation of mechanoreceptors. This work investigates the use of interferential stimulation (the superposition of two kilohertz-frequency stimulation currents to form a low-frequency envelope stimulation waveform) to produce focused and selective stimulation that reduces the sensation at the electrodes. A computable human arm phantom model was used to analyse the electric fields created by interferential stimulation against those created by low-frequency stimulation. The results support the assumption that interferential stimulation could result in reduced sensation at the electrode. However, they did not show benefits in terms of penetration at the frequency range considered. In fact, the results suggest that slightly higher currents may be require