A review of methods for local prevention of attenuation of electrical signals when recording the electrical activity of nerves in the peripheral nervous system

Authors:

Konstantin K. Shcherbina, Grand PhD in Medical sciences (Dr. Med. Sci), Director of the Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotics of the Federal Scientific Center of Rehabilitation of the Disabled named after G.A. Albrecht, 50 Bestuzhevskaya Street, 195067 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. E-mail: shcherbina180@mail.ru

Mihail A. Golovin, Master of Applied Physics, Head of the Department of the Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotics of the Federal Scientific Center of Rehabilitation of the Disabled named after G.A. Albrecht, 50 Bestuzhevskaya Street, 195067 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. E-mail: golovin@center-albreht.ru

Olga A. Vladimirova, MD of General Medicine, administrator of the Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotics of the Federal Scientific Center of Rehabilitation of the Disabled named after G.A. Albrecht, 50 Bestuzhevskaya Street, 195067 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Annotation:

Introduction. Prostheses and orthoses with an external energy source are used, including in the case of complete or partial absence of the function of the limb segment. One of the sources of information for the formation of control commands for such technical means of rehabilitation is the registration of signals of electrical activity of nerves.
For this purpose, chronically implantable invasive sensors are used. A sensor is considered long-term implantable if it is installed on a nerve for 30 days or more. Such a sensor consists of an interface installed on an axon (a process of a neuron), and a system for transmitting registered signals. The interface is most often an array of electrodes.
The use of such a system in the practice of prosthetics and orthotics is difficult due to a number of problems.
The most significant of them is the regeneration of the peripheral nerve around the microelectrode array during 9–12 months. This paper will provide an overview of the types of existing microelectrode arrays used for implantation on peripheral nerves, and ways to reduce the immune response to a foreign body and inhibit the regeneration of peripheral nerves.

Aim. Analysis of the issue of long-term registration of signals from the nerves of the peripheral nervous system.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the analysis of scientific literature on the topic under study, materials of scientific databases ScienceDirect, Google Scholar using the method of analyzing publication activity according to the proposed criteria for the period from 1972 to 2019.

Results. A review of 25 publications was conducted. 4 main types of microelectrode arrays for recording electrical activity by direct lead-off from the nerve have been identified. It is established that there are 3 groups of methods for preventing the attenuation of the recorded signals during the installation of the electrodes. To achieve the best result, you should use these methods together. As a result of the analysis, according to the proposed criteria, the most promising method of using microelectrodes for implantation on peripheral nerves was determined: extra- neural electrodes made of bioavailable material, such as Parylene C. To reduce the immune response at the site of implantation of the electrode, local delivery of drugs is possible, dexamethasone is most often used.

Summary. The analysis showed a large number of existing approaches to the issue of extending the useful life of electrodes implanted on the axons of the nerves of the peripheral nervous system. Their systematization allows us to determine the ways that are most promising for practical application.

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