Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications
Non-invasive electrocutaneous stimulation, which applies an electrical current flowing through the skin’s surface to elicit a tactile percept, can be used in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to obtain somatotopic maps that illustrate the spatial patterns and f...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10985928/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849328747397775360 |
|---|---|
| author | Carolina Travassos Alexandre Sayal Paulo Fonte Bruno Direito Luis Lopes Nuno Carolino Sonia Afonso Tania Lopes Teresa Sousa Miguel Castelo-Branco |
| author_facet | Carolina Travassos Alexandre Sayal Paulo Fonte Bruno Direito Luis Lopes Nuno Carolino Sonia Afonso Tania Lopes Teresa Sousa Miguel Castelo-Branco |
| author_sort | Carolina Travassos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-invasive electrocutaneous stimulation, which applies an electrical current flowing through the skin’s surface to elicit a tactile percept, can be used in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to obtain somatotopic maps that illustrate the spatial patterns and functional organization of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, accessibility to this technique, combined with fMRI, is limited, especially for applications requiring multiple stimulation channels. This study presents the development and assessment of a novel multichannel electrocutaneous stimulation device designed for non-invasive somatosensory stimulation of the upper limbs in human participants within a magnetic resonance (MR) environment. The current-controlled, voltage-limited stimulation device features 20 stimulation channels that can be individually configured to deliver various non-simultaneous combinations of personalized electrical pulses, tailored to the subject, stimulation site, and paradigm. It was designed with a modular assembly to ensure compatibility with the MR environment. The assessment of the device consisted of four stages. First, the feasibility of generating controllable electrical stimuli outside the MR environment was validated using an electrical circuit equivalent to the impedance of the human body and the electrode-skin interface. Subsequently, safety and compatibility were evaluated in a 3 Tesla Magnetom Prisma fit scanner using a phantom. Next, the device’s capacity to generate perceptible tactile sensations and user acceptability were assessed by testing the device on a single participant outside the MR environment. Finally, structural and functional data were acquired from three participants during a somatosensory stimulation experiment as a proof of concept to confirm the brain activity elicited by stimulation. These assessments confirmed the device’s capacity to generate controllable electrical stimuli both outside and in the MR environment, its compatibility and safety in this MR environment, and its effectiveness in eliciting brain activity in the expected brain areas without causing any discomfort to the participant. This study paves the way for future research on somatotopic mapping of S1 using this device. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b699304787d246d8a0dfd8453bf23bc7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1534-4320 1558-0210 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-b699304787d246d8a0dfd8453bf23bc72025-08-20T03:47:28ZengIEEEIEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering1534-43201558-02102025-01-01331916192610.1109/TNSRE.2025.356614410985928Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance ApplicationsCarolina Travassos0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8555-9844Alexandre Sayal1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0476-9533Paulo Fonte2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2275-9099Bruno Direito3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3259-8815Luis Lopes4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8571-0033Nuno Carolino5Sonia Afonso6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6530-9290Tania Lopes7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7198-5968Teresa Sousa8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2652-3152Miguel Castelo-Branco9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4364-6373Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalLaboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalLaboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalLaboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalCoimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, PortugalNon-invasive electrocutaneous stimulation, which applies an electrical current flowing through the skin’s surface to elicit a tactile percept, can be used in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to obtain somatotopic maps that illustrate the spatial patterns and functional organization of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, accessibility to this technique, combined with fMRI, is limited, especially for applications requiring multiple stimulation channels. This study presents the development and assessment of a novel multichannel electrocutaneous stimulation device designed for non-invasive somatosensory stimulation of the upper limbs in human participants within a magnetic resonance (MR) environment. The current-controlled, voltage-limited stimulation device features 20 stimulation channels that can be individually configured to deliver various non-simultaneous combinations of personalized electrical pulses, tailored to the subject, stimulation site, and paradigm. It was designed with a modular assembly to ensure compatibility with the MR environment. The assessment of the device consisted of four stages. First, the feasibility of generating controllable electrical stimuli outside the MR environment was validated using an electrical circuit equivalent to the impedance of the human body and the electrode-skin interface. Subsequently, safety and compatibility were evaluated in a 3 Tesla Magnetom Prisma fit scanner using a phantom. Next, the device’s capacity to generate perceptible tactile sensations and user acceptability were assessed by testing the device on a single participant outside the MR environment. Finally, structural and functional data were acquired from three participants during a somatosensory stimulation experiment as a proof of concept to confirm the brain activity elicited by stimulation. These assessments confirmed the device’s capacity to generate controllable electrical stimuli both outside and in the MR environment, its compatibility and safety in this MR environment, and its effectiveness in eliciting brain activity in the expected brain areas without causing any discomfort to the participant. This study paves the way for future research on somatotopic mapping of S1 using this device.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10985928/Electrical stimulationfunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)functional electrical stimulationneuromuscular stimulationsomatotopyprimary somatosensory cortex (S1) |
| spellingShingle | Carolina Travassos Alexandre Sayal Paulo Fonte Bruno Direito Luis Lopes Nuno Carolino Sonia Afonso Tania Lopes Teresa Sousa Miguel Castelo-Branco Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering Electrical stimulation functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) functional electrical stimulation neuromuscular stimulation somatotopy primary somatosensory cortex (S1) |
| title | Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications |
| title_full | Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications |
| title_fullStr | Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications |
| title_short | Development and Assessment of a New Multichannel Electrocutaneous Device for Non-Invasive Somatosensory Stimulation for Magnetic Resonance Applications |
| title_sort | development and assessment of a new multichannel electrocutaneous device for non invasive somatosensory stimulation for magnetic resonance applications |
| topic | Electrical stimulation functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) functional electrical stimulation neuromuscular stimulation somatotopy primary somatosensory cortex (S1) |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10985928/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolinatravassos developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT alexandresayal developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT paulofonte developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT brunodireito developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT luislopes developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT nunocarolino developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT soniaafonso developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT tanialopes developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT teresasousa developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications AT miguelcastelobranco developmentandassessmentofanewmultichannelelectrocutaneousdevicefornoninvasivesomatosensorystimulationformagneticresonanceapplications |