Title
A parametric study of intracortical microstimulation in behaving rats for the development of artificial sensory channels.
Abstract
In the framework of developing new brain-machine interfaces, many valuable results have been obtained in understanding which features of neural activity can be used in controlling an external device. Somatosensory real-time feedback is crucial for motor planning and for executing "online" errors correction during the movement. In people with sensory motor disabilities cortical microstimulation can be used as sensory feedback to elicit an artificial sensation providing the brain with information about the external environment. Even if intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is broadly used in several experiments, understanding the psychophysics of such artificial sensory channel is still an open issue. Here we present the results of a parametric study that aims to define which stimulation parameters are needed to create an artificial sensation. Behaving rats were trained to report by pressing a lever the presence of ICMS delivered through microwire electrodes chronically implanted in the barrel cortex. Psychometric curves obtained by varying pulse amplitude, pulse frequency and train duration, demonstrate that in freely moving animals the perception threshold of microstimulation increased with respect to previous studies with head-restrained rats.
Year
DOI
Venue
2012
10.1109/EMBC.2012.6346052
EMBC
Keywords
Field
DocType
brain-machine interfaces,motor planning,mechanoception,microwire electrodes,intracortical microstimulation,neurophysiology,biomedical electrodes,somatosensory real-time feedback,neural activity,brain-computer interfaces,perception threshold,prosthetics,train duration,chronic implantation,external device control,head-restrained rats,bioelectric phenomena,barrel cortex,pulse frequency,artificial sensory channels,brain,sensory feedback,pulse amplitude,microelectrodes,behaving rats,sensory motor disabilities,artificial sensation,online error correction,parametric study,brain computer interfaces
Neuroscience,Computer science,Microstimulation,Brain–computer interface,Barrel cortex,Somatosensory system,Sensory system,Perception,Psychophysics,Sensation
Conference
Volume
ISSN
ISBN
2012
1557-170X
978-1-4577-1787-1
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
0
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Marianna Semprini132.91
Lorenzo Bennicelli200.34
A. Vato3707.97