Abstract
AbstractObjectiveTargeted transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive neural stimulation technique that involves activating sensory nerve fibers to elicit tactile sensations in a distal, or referred, location. Though TENS is a promising approach for delivering haptic feedback for those with somatosensory deficits, it was not known how the perception of TENS might be influenced by changing wrist position during sensorimotor tasks.ApproachWe worked with 12 able-bodied individuals and delivered TENS by placing electrodes on the wrist, thus targeting the ulnar and median nerves, and eliciting tactile sensations in the hand. We recorded perceptual data across three wrist postures: neutral, 45° extension, and 45° flexion. For each posture, the participants drew where they perceived the elicited percepts on a map of the hand. They verbally reported the quality of the percepts in their own words. We also varied the pulse amplitude and width of the stimulation to generate a strength-duration curve, from which we extracted the rheobase current and chronaxie time. Linear mixed models were run on the slope and intercept of the linear fit between pulse width and pulse amplitude to investigate effects of gender, posture, and electrode placement.Main resultsAs wrist posture changed, sensation quality was modulated for half of the participants, and percept location changed for 11/12 participants. There were no major changes in the surface area of the elicited percepts. The rheobase and chronaxie values were influenced by wrist posture, but the direction of these changes varied by participant and therefore the effect was not systematic. The statistical models indicated interactions between posture and electrode placement, as well as an effect of gender.SignificanceIf using TENS to convey haptic feedback in sensorimotor tasks, in which wrist posture will likely change, it may be important to characterize resulting perceptual changes for individual users.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory