Influence of the H-reflex on the selectivity of recruitment using multi-contact epineural stimulation of the median nerve in a participant with complete tetraplegia

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2022 Jul:2022:5089-5093. doi: 10.1109/EMBC48229.2022.9871880.

Abstract

Multi-contact epineural electrical stimulation is a technique that can be used to restore grip movements in people with complete tetraplegia. However, neural stimulation can induce undesired H-reflex. This reflex is known to induce a global lower recruitment threshold together with a steepest recruitment curve leading to a degraded selective response. In this study, during stimulation of the median nerve using a multi-contact cuff electrode, a H-reflex response was observed for one muscle (the pronator teres i.e. PT) among the five recorded. As both M-wave and H-wave were separately recorded, we compared the changes of recruitment, recruitment order and se-lectivity with and without the H-reflex and found that blocking the reflex would have enhance the selectivity and increase the range of the intensity amplitude while providing a higher level of gripping force. Thus, blocking H-reflex is an important issue to further enhance epineural multicontact selective stimulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electric Stimulation
  • Forearm
  • H-Reflex*
  • Humans
  • Median Nerve*
  • Quadriplegia