Finite element analysis of electrical nerve stimulation

A nerve stimulation model and tool have been developed to analyze and optimize the design of nerve cuff electrodes. A finite element method was used to determine the electric potentials in the volume conductor. Nerve fiber excitation was determined using the net driving function algorithm. Extraneural and interfascicular cuff electrode configurations were modeled. Selectivity indexes were calculated on various cuff configurations to analyze the effectiveness of selectively activating a given fascicle. The authors´ results show that interfascicular cuffs have higher selectivity than extraneural cuffs due to isolation created by the cuff itself