Electrocutaneous Nerve Stimulation-I: Model and Experiment

The behavior of nerve fibers in the skin during electrocutaneous stimulation has been studied in this investigation for the purpose of understanding the influence of various current pulse parameters. One part of the investigation assessed the amount of stimulus charge, for various pulse parameters, required to depolarize the nodal membrane of myelinated nerve, using the Frankenhaeuser-Huxley model for Xenopus Laevis (toad). The second part of the investigation involved the experimental application of biphasic current pulses via a concentric electrode to the skin of a number of human subjects. The subjects were asked to match the intensity of sensation as stimulus parameters were varied. The experimental results were compared to the predictions of the model by the process of normalization for temperature differences and the loss of electrode current in adjacent passive tissues.