A modeling study of nerve fascicle stimulation

A nerve-stimulation model incorporating realistic cross-sectional nerve geometries and conductivities is discussed. The potential field in the volume conductor was calculated numerically using the variational method. Nerve fiber excitation was described by the model of McNeal (ibid., vol.BME-23, p.329-37, 1976). Cross-sectional geometries of small monofascicular rat common peroneal nerve and multifascicular human deep peroneal nerve were taken as sample geometries. Selective stimulation of a fascicle was theoretically analyzed for several electrode positions: outside the nerve, in the connective tissue of the nerve, and inside a fascicle. The model results predict that the use of intraneural or even intrafascicular electrodes is necessary for selective stimulation of fascicles not lying at the surface of the nerve. Model predictions correspond to experimental results on intrafascicular and extraneural stimulation of rat common peroneal nerve and to results on muscle selective stimulation in multifascicular dog sciatic nerve using an extraneural multielectrode configuration.