Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles for Wireless Peripheral Nerve Stimulation: A Computational Study

Abstract

This study aims to precisely characterize the use of magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) for stimulating peripheral nerves. Numerical methods were employed to quantify the interaction between MENPs and nervous tissue. The influence of MENPs’ orientation, concentration and distance was assessed in terms of the external potential distribution exerted by the MENPs, the amplification of the exerted MENPs’ stimulation required to excite the neural fibers and the current injected into the intracellular space. The results highlight the significance of MENPs’ concentration for stimulation accuracy and efficiency, the impact of MENPs’ orientation on the electric potential distribution sensed by the nervous tissue, as well as the importance of the MENPs’ distance over the fibers’ recruitment. Given the considerable variability in the interaction between MENPs and nerves, our research provides a crucial step towards understanding this interaction, offering quantitative support for the application of MENPs in nervous tissue stimulation.

Keywords

• magnetoelectric nanoparticles
• peripheral nerve stimulation
• numerical methods