Modulation of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) has a great potential for therapeutic intervention as well as restore bodily functions. Recent interest has focused on autonomic nerves, as they regulate extensive functions implicated in organ physiology, chronic disease state and appear tractable to targeted modulation of discrete nerve units. Therapeutic interventions based on specific bioelectronic neuromodulation depend on reliable neural interface to stimulate and record autonomic nerves. Furthermore, the function of stimulation and recording requires energy which should be delivered to the interface. Due to the physiological and anatomical challenges of autonomic nerves, various forms of this active neural interface need to be developed to achieve next generation of neural interface for bioelectronic medicine. In this article, we present an overview of the state-of-the-art for peripheral neural interface technology in relation to autonomic nerves. Also, we reveal the current status of wireless neural interface for peripheral nerve applications. Recent studies of a novel concept of self-sustainable neural interface without battery and electronic components are presented. Finally, the recent results of non-invasive stimulation such as ultrasound and magnetic stimulation are covered and the perspective of the future research direction is provided.
Keywords: Bioelectronic medicine; Energy harvesters; Magnetic stimulation; Peripheral nerve interface; Ultrasound stimulation; Wireless neural interface.