Cited by 105Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringPain Management and TreatmentTactile and Sensory Interactions

Neural interfaces for somatosensory feedback: bringing life to a prosthesis

Open access
Tyler, Dustin J.·2015·Current Opinion in Neurology

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: When an individual loses a limb, he/she loses touch with the world and with the people around him/her. Somatosensation is critical to the feeling of connection and control of one's own body. Decades of attempts to replace lost somatosensation by sensory substitutions have been ineffective outside of the laboratory. This review discusses important recent results demonstrating chronic somatosensory restoration through direct peripheral nerve stimulation. RECENT FINDINGS: Stimulation of peripheral nerves results in somatosensory perception on the phantom limb. Sensations are localized to several independent and functionally relevant locations, such as the fingertips, thenar eminence, ulnar border and dorsal surface. Patterns in stimulation intensity change the perception experience by the user, opening new dimensions on neuromodulation. SUMMARY: Neural interfaces with sophisticated stimulation paradigms create a user's perception of his/her hand to touch and manipulate objects. The pattern of intensity and frequency of stimulation is critical to the quality and intensity of perceived sensation. Restoring feeling has allowed the individuals to, 'feel [my] hand for the first time since the accident,' and 'feel [my] wife touch my hand'. Individuals using a prosthetic hand with sensation can pull cherries and grapes from the stem, open water bottles and move objects without destroying these objects - all while audio and visually deprived. After regaining sensation, phantom pain is eliminated in individuals that had frequent, sometimes debilitating, pain following limb loss. With over 5 subject-years of experience, this work is leading the evolution of a new era in prostheses. Somatosensory prosthetics as a standard procedure to augment and restore somatosensation are now within our reach.

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Crossref · 10.1097/wco.0000000000000266

Cites

125 of 125 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Spikes are responsible for conveying information in the axons of a nerve, and spike rate or frequency is involved in transmitting sensorimotor commands in a single axon.

    “Spikes are responsible for conveying information in the axons of a nerve, and the spike rate or frequency is involved in transmitting sensorimotor commands in a single axon (Tyler, 2015).”
  • Optimization of sensory feedback can restore sense of touch and help bionic arm/prosthesis be incorporated into body image.

    “Optimization of sensory feedback can provide better results, which include the restoration of a sense of touch that allows amputees to experience the world in a natural way and that also helps in allowing the bionic arm/prosthesis to be incorporated into their body image (Tyler, 2015).”
  • Many challenges are ahead before selective activation of all receptors.

    “Bensmaia (2015) and Tyler (2015) concluded that many challenges are ahead before selective activation of all receptors.”

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Authors
Tyler, D. J.
Affiliations
Case Western Reserve University (US)
Corresponding author
Tyler, Dustin J.
Venue
Current Opinion in Neurology
Published
2015-12
Volume
28
Issue
6
Pages
574-581
ISSN
1350-7540 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2415521922
Cited by
105
References
125
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 2
FWCI
1.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Opinion in Neurology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (I01 RX001334)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
Keywords
neural interfaces, somatosensory feedback, peripheral nerve stimulation, phantom limb, sensory substitution, prosthetic hand, phantom pain, neuromodulation, limb loss
MeSH terms
Artificial Limbs, Electric Stimulation, Hand, Humans, Peripheral Nerves, Touch, Touch Perception, Feedback, Sensory

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