Abstract
Aims: Nerve conduction block using implanted electrodes is being used increasingly for clinical applications. Alternatively, non-invasive electrical nerve block would be beneficial for applications including pain block and muscle spasticity. Here we developed a novel means of non-invasive electrical nerve conduction blockade – transcutaneous direct current block (tDCB) – that produces direct block of nerve conduction. Materials & Methods: In an in vivo rodent model, tDCB produced stable neuromotor blockade of sciatic nerve branches, dependent on stimulus parameters and electrode geometry. Results: Partial-to-complete neuromotor block was achieved in all subjects using tDCB amplitudes at or below 20 mA, and complete block was achieved at amplitudes as low as 6 mA. Conclusions: Our results reveal that neuromotor activity can be rapidly, reliably and reversibly blocked using tDCB.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This work was supported by a Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership award and by National Institutes of Health R01-074149. K Kilgore, N Bhadra, T Vrabec and N Bhadra have a Sponsored Research Agreement with Halyard Health. K Kilgore and N Bhadra have equity ownership in Neuros Medical, Inc.
Ethical conduct of research
All procedures were approved by Case Western Reserve University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and conformed to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Authors’ Contributions
GM Van Acker and KL Kilgore jointly conceived the study. GM Van Acker, N Bhadra, TL Vrabec, N Bhadra and KL Kilgore executed data collection and data analysis. GM Van Acker prepared the manuscript. J Chae and KL Kilgore provided analysis insight, edited manuscript and co-supervised study. All authors discussed the experimental methods and results, and provided input on the manuscript.