Multi-electrode array for transcutaneous lumbar posterior-root stimulation

Interest in transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord is increasing in human electrophysiological and clinical studies. The stimulation effects on lower limb muscles depend on the depolarization of segmentally organized posterior root afferents and, thus, the rostro-caudal stimulation site. In previous studies, selective stimulation was achieved by varying the positions of single self-adhesive electrodes over the thoracolumbar spine. Here, we developed a multi-electrode surface array consisting of 3 × 8 electrode pads and tested its stimulation-site specificity. The array was placed longitudinally over the spine covering the T10–L2 vertebrae. Two different hydrogel layer configurations were utilized: a single layer adhered to all electrode pads of the array and a configuration comprised of eight separate strips attached to the three transverse electrode pads of each level. Voltage measurements demonstrated that an effectively focused field distribution along t...

在人体电生理及临床研究领域，腰骶脊髓经皮电刺激（transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord）的关注度正持续提升。该刺激对下肢肌肉的调控效果，取决于节段性排布的后根传入纤维的去极化过程，进而与刺激位点的头尾侧（rostro-caudal）位置密切相关。既往研究中，研究者通过在胸腰椎脊柱表面调整单块自粘电极的摆放位置，实现了选择性刺激。本研究开发了一款由3×8个电极垫组成的多电极表面阵列，并对其刺激位点特异性进行了测试验证。该阵列纵向铺设于脊柱表面，覆盖T10至L2椎体区域。研究采用了两种不同的水凝胶层配置方案：一种为将单层水凝胶贴合至阵列的全部电极垫；另一种则由8条独立水凝胶条构成，每条水凝胶条分别附着于对应节段的3个横向排布电极垫上。电压测量结果显示，沿……的有效聚焦电场分布