Recruitment of dorsal column fibers in spinal cord stimulation: influence of collateral branching

• Published in: IEEE transactions on biomedical engineering 1992-09, Vol.39 (9), p.903-912
• Main Authors: Struijk, J.J., Holsheimer, J., van der Heide, G.G., Boom, H.B.K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials; Biological and medical sciences; Distributed control; Electric Stimulation; Electrical stimulation; Electrodes; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Intelligent networks; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Miscellaneous. Technology; Models, Neurological; Nerve fibers; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - physiology; Neural Conduction - physiology; Optical fiber polarization; Pain; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Recruitment; Recruitment, Neurophysiological; Sensory Thresholds; Silicon compounds; Spinal cord; Spinal Cord - anatomy & histology; Spinal Cord - physiology; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation - standards
• ISSN: 0018-9294; 1558-2531
• DOI: 10.1109/10.256423

An electrical network model of myelinated dorsal column nerve fibers is presented. The effect of electrical simulation was investigated using both a homogeneous volume conductor and a more realistic model of the spinal cord. An important feature of dorsal column nerve fibers is the presence of myelinated collaterals perpendicular to the rostro-caudal fibers. It was found that transmembrane potentials, due to external monopolar stimulation, at the node at which a collateral is attached, is significantly influenced by the presence of the collateral. It is concluded that both excitation threshold and blocking threshold of dorsal column fibers are decreased up to 50% compared to unbranched fibers.< >