Fascicle-Selectivity of an Intraneural Stimulation Electrode in the Rabbit Sciatic Nerve

The current literature contains extensive research on peripheral nerve interfaces, including both extraneural and intrafascicular electrodes. Interfascicular electrodes, which are in-between these two with respect to nerve fiber proximity have, however, received little interest. In this proof-of-concept study, an interfascicular electrode was designed to be implanted in the sciatic nerve and activate the tibial and peroneal nerves selectively of each other, and it was tested in acute experiments on nine anaesthetized rabbits. The electrode was inserted without difficulty between the fascicles using blunt glass tools, which could easily penetrate the epineurium but not the perineurium. Selective activation of all tibial and peroneal nerves in the nine animals was achieved with high selectivity (Ŝ = 0.98 ± 0.02). Interfascicular electrodes could provide an interesting addition to the bulk of peripheral nerve interfaces available for neural prosthetic devices. Since interfascicular electrodes can be inserted without fully freeing the nerve and have the advantage of not confining the nerve to a limited space, they could, e.g., be an alternative to extraneural electrodes in locations where such surgery is complicated due to blood vessels or fatty tissue. Further studies are, however, necessary to develop biocompatible electrodes and test their stability and safety in chronic experiments.