Method for analyzing nerve fiber distribution and measuring normalized evoked compound action electric potential

A method for analyzing nerve fibers distribution, comprising the steps of:

• (1) inputting a stimulation signal into a nerve tissue through at least two of a plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes, and applying a stimulation signal ratio to control the stimulation signal using an electric current steering technique to electrically stimulate a plurality of nerve fibers within a plurality of stimulations areas of the nerve tissue;
• (2) receiving a plurality of ECAPs using at least two of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes due to the plurality of nerve fibers electrically stimulated and computing a distance between one of the plurality of nerve fibers and at least two of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes;
• and
• (3) computing a distribution angle corresponding to each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes that are not used for inputting a voltage signal into the nerve tissue based on an electric potential attenuation factor, the voltage signal and the plurality of ECAPs, and integrating and comparing the received plurality of ECAPs to analyze the nerve fibers distribution of the nerve tissue.

A method for measuring a normalized evoked compound action potential (ECAP), comprising the steps of:

• (1) inputting a voltage signal into a nerve tissue through at least one of a plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes, and computing a distribution angle corresponding to each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes that are not used for inputting the voltage signal into the nerve tissue based on an electric potential attenuation factor, the voltage signal and a plurality of ECAPs;
• (2) computing a distance between a nerve fiber and each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes based on the distribution angle corresponding to each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes;
• (3) inputting a stimulation signal into the nerve tissue through at least one of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes to generate the plurality of ECAPs, receiving the plurality of ECAPs using the other one of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes that are not used for inputting the stimulation signal into the nerve tissue, and receiving the plurality of ECAPs corresponding to the other one of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes based on the distance between the nerve fiber and each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes including the electric potential attenuation factor;
• and
• (4) computing the received plurality of ECAPs to obtain an average ECAP of the nerve fiber.

A method for using a normalized evoked compound action potential (ECAP), comprising the steps of:

• (1) inputting a voltage signal into the nerve tissue through a plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes, and computing an average ECAP corresponding to a distance between each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes and the nerve tissue based on a method for measuring a normalized ECAP, wherein the method for measuring the normalized ECAP comprises computing a distribution angle corresponding to each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes that are not used for inputting the voltage signal into the nerve tissue based on an electric potential attenuation factor, the voltage signal and a plurality of ECAPs;
• (2) generating a curve of each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes corresponding to the average ECAP;
• (3) obtaining a threshold potential and a comfortable potential level of the voltage signal inputted into the nerve tissue, and obtaining a first correlation between the average ECAP and the threshold potential and a second correlation between the average ECAP and the comfortable potential level, wherein the comfortable potential level represents an acceptable maximum current level;
• and
• (4) generating a threshold potential level and a comfortable potential level of each of the plurality of sensing and conducting electrodes based on the first correlation, the second correlation and the threshold potential and the comfortable potential level of the voltage signal.