Novel surface electrode design for preferential activation of cutaneous nociceptors

Objective. Small area electrodes enable preferential activation of nociceptive fibers. It is debated, however, whether co-activation of large fibers still occurs for the existing electrode designs. Moreover, existing electrodes are limited to low stimulation intensities, for which behavioral and physiological responses may be considered less reliable. A recent optimization study showed that there is a potential for improving electrode performance and increase the range of possible stimulation intensities. Based on those results, the present study introduces and tests a novel planar concentric array electrode design for small fiber activation in healthy volunteers. Approach. Volunteers received electrical stimulation with the planar concentric array electrode and a regular patch electrode. Perception thresholds (PT) were estimated at the beginning and the end of the experiment. Evoked cortical potentials were recorded in blocks of 30 stimuli. For the patch, stimulation current intensity was set to two times PT, while three intensities, two, five, and ten times PT, were applied with the planar concentric array electrode. Sensation quality, numerical-rating scores, and reaction times were obtained for each PT estimation and during each block of evoked potential recordings. Main results. Stimulation with the patch electrode was characterized as dull, while stimulation with the planar concentric array electrode was characterized as sharp, with increased sharpness for increasing stimulus current intensity. Likewise, scores of the numerical rating scale were higher for the planar concentric array electrode compared to the patch and increased with increasing stimulation current intensity. Reaction times and ERP latencies were longer for the planar concentric array electrode compared to the patch. Significance. The presented novel planar concentric array electrode is a small, non-invasive, and single-use electrode that has the potential to investigate small fiber neuropathy and pain mechanisms, as it is small fiber preferential for a wide range of stimulation intensities.