An electric field model for prediction of somatosensory (S1) cortical field potentials induced by ventral posterior lateral (VPL) thalamic microstimulation

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2012 Mar;20(2):161-9. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2011.2181417. Epub 2011 Dec 23.

Abstract

Microstimulation (MiSt) is used experimentally and clinically to activate localized populations of neural elements. However, it is difficult to predict-and subsequently control-neural responses to simultaneous current injection through multiple electrodes in an array. This is due to the unknown locations of neuronal elements in the extracellular medium that are excited by the superposition of multiple parallel current sources. We, therefore, propose a model that maps the computed electric field in the 3-D space surrounding the stimulating electrodes in one brain region to the local field potential (LFP) fluctuations evoked in a downstream region. Our model is trained with the recorded LFP waveforms in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) resulting from MiSt applied in multiple electrode configurations in the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) of the quiet awake rat. We then predict the cortical responses to MiSt in "novel" electrode configurations, a result that suggests that this technique could aid in the design of spatially optimized MiSt patterns through a multielectrode array.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Afferent Pathways / physiology
  • Animals
  • Artifacts
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Electrodes
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / physiology*
  • Female
  • Models, Neurological
  • Neural Prostheses
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prosthesis Design
  • Rats
  • Rats, Long-Evans
  • Ventral Thalamic Nuclei / physiology*