Phantom Limb Sensory Feedback Through Nerve Transfer Surgery
Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: Commercially used prostheses are essentially open-loop devices and provide little or no feedback\nto the amputee as to how much force they exerting with the terminal device, despite numerous\nattempts to provide closed loop control in prosthetics [1]. Providing pressure feedback clearly\nhas great value for function of the prosthesis—the goal is for the amputee to ‘feel’ what they are\nholding. Indirect pressure feedback has been attempted by methods including vibration [2] and\nfunctional electrical stimulation [3, 4]. The information contained in these forms of feedback is\nnot in the same modality as that which they sense. As a result, while providing information to the\nuser, it is likely that it comes at the cost of increased mental load and low level of information\ntransfer [5]. Patterson and Katz [6] have obtained better qualitative feedback with pressure to\npressure feedback than with pressure to vibratory or electrical stimulation feedback, offering\nsupport for this suggestion. An adaptive process is still involved since the subject must learn to\nassociate pressure in one area with pressure in another area. Ideally, the sensory nerve endings of\nthe amputated area need to be stimulated in direct correlation to the function of the prosthesis.\nThe recent work of Kuiken [7] has made this concept feasible by the use of targeted\nreinnervation. The potential thus exists for the subject to feel as if touch, pressure and even hot\nor cold temperatures are being exerted on their hand. This study will examine the potential of\nintuitive pressure feedback.
Source: DukeSpace (Duke University)
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2133827543