Publications by authors named "S F Lempka"
Article Synopsis
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an FDA-approved treatment for chronic pain, and researchers are using swine to enhance understanding and effectiveness of this treatment by studying the porcine spinal cord's morphology.
- The study involved high-resolution imaging of the spinal cord from Yorkshire/Landrace crossbred swine to create detailed 3D visualizations and compare their anatomy to previous research on human spinal cords.
- Results showed significant anatomical differences between porcine and human spinal cords, such as variations in rootlet counts and angles, suggesting caution when applying findings from swine models to human SCS treatment.
Article Synopsis
- Evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) during spinal cord stimulation (SCS) are useful for understanding pain treatment and improving SCS control, but they are affected by various artifacts like capacitive noise, EMG bleed-through, and motion artifacts.
- A study using a swine model identified these artifacts and demonstrated that they can distort ECAP recordings, making it challenging to differentiate legitimate neural signals from interference.
- The research emphasizes the need for specific controls and procedures to accurately interpret ECAP data, which is crucial for advancing closed-loop SCS technologies.
For prosthesis users, sensory feedback that appears to come from the missing limb can improve function, confidence, and phantom limb pain. Numerous pre-clinical studies have considered stimulation via penetrating microelectrodes at the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) as a potential approach for somatosensory neuroprostheses. However, to develop clinically translatable neuroprosthetic devices, a less invasive approach, such as stimulation via epineural macroelectrodes, would be preferable.
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- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) shows promise for treating chronic pain and sensorimotor disorders, but the mechanisms and electrode placement effects on spinal recordings are not fully understood.
- This study involved implanting electrode arrays in swine and used imaging techniques to analyze how electrode placement correlates with spinal anatomy and recording responses.
- The findings revealed significant differences in the spatial relationship between electrode contacts and spinal nerve rootlets, indicating that electrode placement is critical for effective stimulation and recording in the spinal cord.