Electrode position, size, and orientation determine efficacy of cervical epidural stimulation to recruit forelimb muscles in rats.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Cervical epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) can facilitate upper-limb motor recovery, but electrode configurations that optimally recruit motor circuits remain unclear. This study systematically evaluated how electrode position, size, orientation, and waveform influence the efficacy of forelimb motor activation in rats, with the goal of identifying configurations that minimize stimulation thresholds of evoked responses across multiple muscles.

Approach

Custom microfabricated arrays of electrodes were implanted over the C6 dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) in eight adult female Sprague Dawley rats. A circular array was used to vary current orientation in 45° increments, while a linear array was used to optimize mediolateral electrode position. The linear array inclu

SUBMITTER: Pascual-Leone A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12439911 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature