High-density spinal cord stimulation selectively activates lower urinary tract nerves.
J Neural Eng
; 19(6)2022 11 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36343359
ABSTRACT
Objective.Epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a potential intervention to improve limb and autonomic functions, with lumbar stimulation improving locomotion and thoracic stimulation regulating blood pressure. Here, we asked whether sacral SCS could be used to target the lower urinary tract (LUT) and used a high-density epidural electrode array to test whether individual electrodes could selectively recruit LUT nerves.Approach. We placed a high-density epidural SCS array on the dorsal surface of the sacral spinal cord and cauda equina of anesthetized cats and recorded the stimulation-evoked activity from nerve cuffs on the pelvic, pudendal and sciatic nerves.Main results. Here we show that sacral SCS evokes responses in nerves innervating the bladder and urethra and that these nerves can be activated selectively. Sacral SCS always recruited the pelvic and pudendal nerves and selectively recruited both of these nerves in all but one animal. Individual branches of the pudendal nerve were always recruited as well. Electrodes that selectively recruited specific peripheral nerves were spatially clustered on the arrays, suggesting anatomically organized sensory pathways.Significance.This selective recruitment demonstrates a mechanism to directly modulate bladder and urethral function through known reflex pathways, which could be used to restore bladder and urethral function after injury or disease.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Traumatismos da Medula Espinal
/
Nervo Pudendo
/
Estimulação da Medula Espinal
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Neural Eng
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos