Somatosensation Evoked by Cortical Surface Stimulation of the Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Frontiers in Neuroscience

Satoru Oshino³  Haruhiko Kishima³  Kohtaroh Edakawa³  Masataka Tanaka³  St. Clair Kirin⁴  Takufumi Yanagisawa⁵  Yukio Nishimura⁶ 

[1] Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita, Japan;Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan;Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine Osaka University, Suita, Japan;Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Japan;Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies, Osaka University, Suita, Japan;Neural Prosthesis Project, Department of Dementia and Higher Brain Function, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan;

关键词: artificial sensation;    primary somatosensory cortex;    electrocorticography;    electrical stimulation;    human;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnins.2019.01019

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Electrical stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex using intracranial electrodes is crucial for the evocation of artificial somatosensations, typically tactile sensations associated with specific regions of the body, in brain-machine interface (BMI) applications. The qualitative characteristics of these artificially evoked somatosensations has been well documented. As of yet, however, the quantitative aspects of these evoked somatosensations, that is to say the quantitative relationship between intensity of electrical stimulation and perceived intensity of the resultant somatosensation remains obscure. This study aimed to explore this quantitative relationship by surface electrical stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex in two human participants undergoing electrocorticographic monitoring prior to surgical treatment of intractable epilepsy. Electrocorticogram electrodes on the primary somatosensory cortical surface were stimulated with varying current intensities, and a visual analogue scale was employed to provide a quantitative measure of intensity of the evoked sensations. Evoked sensations included those of the thumb, tongue, and hand. A clear linear relationship between current intensity and perceived intensity of sensation was observed. These findings provide novel insight into the quantitative nature of primary somatosensory cortex electrical stimulation-evoked sensation for development of somatosensory neuroprosthetics for clinical use.

【 授权许可】

Unknown