Removal of Electrocardiogram Artifacts From Local Field Potentials Recorded by Sensing-Enabled Neurostimulator

Abstract

Sensing-enabled neurostimulators are an advanced technology for chronic observation of brain activities, and show great potential for closed-loop neuromodulation and as implantable brain-computer interfaces. However, local field potentials (LFPs) recorded by sensing-enabled neurostimulators can be contaminated by electrocardiogram (ECG) signals due to complex recording conditions and limited common-mode-rejection-ratio (CMRR). In this study, we propose a solution for removing such ECG artifacts from local field potentials (LFPs) recorded by a sensing-enabled neurostimulator. A synchronized monopolar channel was added as an ECG reference, and two pre-existing methods, i.e., template subtraction and adaptive filtering, were then applied. ECG artifacts were successfully removed and the performance of the method was insensitive to residual stimulation artifacts. This approach to removal of ECG artifacts broadens the range of applications of sensing-enabled neurostimulators.