Towards enhanced functionality of vagus neuroprostheses through in silico optimized stimulation.

Bioelectronic therapies modulating the vagus nerve are promising for cardiovascular, inflammatory, and mental disorders. Clinical applications are however limited by side-effects such as breathing obstruction and headache caused by non-specific stimulation. To design selective and functional stimulation, we engineered VaStim, a realistic and efficient in-silico model. We developed a protocol to personalize VaStim in-vivo using simple muscle responses, successfully reproducing experimental observations, by combining models with trials conducted on five pigs. Through optimized algorithms, VaStim simulated the complete fiber population in minutes, including often omitted unmyelinated fibers which constitute 80% of the nerve. The model suggested that all Aα-fibers across the nerve affect laryngeal muscle, while heart rate changes were caused by B-efferents in specific fascicles. It predicted that tripolar paradigms could reduce laryngeal activity by 70% compared to typically used protocols. VaStim may serve as a model for developing neuromodulation therapies by maximizing efficacy and specificity, reducing animal experimentation.

Design of an adaptable intrafascicular electrode (AIR) for selective nerve stimulation by model-based optimization.

Peripheral nerve stimulation is being investigated as a therapeutic tool in several clinical scenarios. However, the adopted devices have restricted ability to obtain desired outcomes with tolerable off-target effects. Recent promising solutions are not yet employed in clinical practice due to complex required surgeries, lack of long-term stability, and implant invasiveness. Here, we aimed to design a neural interface to address these issues, specifically dimensioned for pudendal and sacral nerves to potentially target sexual, bladder, or bowel dysfunctions. We designed the adaptable intrafascicular radial electrode (AIR) through realistic computational models. They account for detailed human anatomy, inhomogeneous anisotropic conductance, following the trajectories of axons along curving and branching fascicles, and detailed biophysics of axons. The model was validated against available experimental data. Thanks to computationally efficient geometry-based selectivity estimations we informed the electrode design, optimizing its dimensions to obtain the highest selectivity while maintaining low invasiveness. We then compared the AIR with state-of-the-art electrodes, namely InterStim leads, multipolar cuffs and transversal intrafascicular multichannel electrodes (TIME). AIR, comprising a flexible substrate, surface active sites, and radially inserted intrafascicular needles, is designed to be implanted in a few standard steps, potentially enabling fast implants. It holds potential for repeatable stimulation outcomes thanks to its radial structural symmetry. When compared in-silico, AIR consistently outperformed cuff electrodes and InterStim leads in terms of recruitment threshold and stimulation selectivity. AIR performed similarly or better than a TIME, with quantified less invasiveness. Finally, we showed how AIR can adapt to different nerve sizes and varying shapes while maintaining high selectivity. The AIR electrode shows the potential to fill a clinical need for an effective peripheral nerve interface. Its high predicted performance in all the identified requirements was enabled by a model-based approach, readily applicable for the optimization of electrode parameters in any peripheral nerve stimulation scenario.

Symbiotic electroneural and musculoskeletal framework to encode proprioception via neurostimulation: ProprioStim.

Peripheral nerve stimulation in amputees achieved the restoration of touch, but not proprioception, which is critical in locomotion. A plausible reason is the lack of means to artificially replicate the complex activity of proprioceptors. To uncover this, we coupled neuromuscular models from ten subjects and nerve histologies from two implanted amputees to develop ProprioStim: a framework to encode proprioception by electrical evoking neural activity in close agreement with natural proprioceptive activity. We demonstrated its feasibility through non-invasive stimulation on seven healthy subjects comparing it with standard linear charge encoding. Results showed that ProprioStim multichannel stimulation was felt more natural, and hold promises for increasing accuracy in knee angle tracking, especially in future implantable solutions. Additionally, we quantified the importance of realistic 3D-nerve models against extruded models previously adopted for further design and validation of novel neurostimulation encoding strategies. ProprioStim provides clear guidelines for the development of neurostimulation policies restoring natural proprioception.

Multifaceted understanding of human nerve implants to design optimized electrodes for bioelectronics.

Bioelectronic medicine is a promising venue for treatment of disabilities using implantable neural interfaces. Peripheral neurostimulation of residual nerves recently enabled multiple functional benefits in amputees. Despite the preliminary promising impact on patients' life, the over-time stability of implants and the related nerve reactions are unclear. To unveil the mechanisms and inform the design of better nerve-electrode interfaces, we engaged a multifaceted approach, merging functional responses from patients, their histological data, and corresponding computational modelling. Neurostimulation evoked different selective sensation locations and qualities over-time, with respective perceptual thresholds, that showed different degree of time stabilities dependent from the stimulating active sites. The histological analysis after explant showed mild tissue reactions, while electromechanically active sites and substrates remained conserved. Computational models, based on patients' histology, revealed the direct influence of the simulated tissue reaction to change of thresholds and type of perceived sensations. Novel insights of electrode biocompatibility was observed compared to animals and the increase of thresholds could be predicted computationally. This multifaced framework suggest that future intraneural implants should have easier implantation and higher biocompatibility counteracting the sensations changes through AI-based stimulations and electrode coatings.