A Biofeedback Based Auto-Controlled Neurostimulator Design for Proper NCS Signal Acquisition and Measurement
C. Talukdar1, A. Hazarika2, A. Singh3, N. Das4, M. Bhuyan5
1C. Talukdar, M.Sc. degree in Instrumentation from Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India.
2A. Hazarika, M.Sc. degree in Physics and the M Tech degree in Bioelectronics in 2009 and 2011 from Tezpur University, Tezpur.
3A. Singh, B.E degree in Power Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering 2013 from Dibrugarh University, India.
4N. Das, B.E degree in Power Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering 2014 from Dibrugarh University, India.
5M. Bhuyan, Professor with the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India.
Manuscript received on February 01, 2020. | Revised Manuscript received on February 05, 2020. | Manuscript published on February 30, 2020. | PP: 16-25 | Volume-9 Issue-3, February, 2020. | Retrieval Number: C5157029320/2020©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.C5157.029320
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: This paper presents the design of a biofeedback based auto-controlled neurostimulator for acquiring nerve response. Nerve conduction study (NCS) employs an electrical stimulator that generates a stimulus to be applied over the skin of an underlying nerve. Conventional neurostimulator uses manual control of voltage or current to generate the nerve responses. It is observed that the stimulation for supramaximal response varies with subjects due to different skin resistances of the subjects. Such measurement needs repeated trials which is time consuming, irritating to subjects and often suffers difficulties in real-time applications. This study proposes a portable neurostimulator based on the skin resistance as bio-feedback parameter to control the stimulus. A custom made NCS setup is developed for experimental recording of real-time nerve signals and identified the best compound muscle action potential signal for generating optimal stimulus i.e., supramaximal stimulus (SS) manually. Then, mathematical models are investigated using real-time data and models are implemented in a microcontroller (µC) based stimulator. The µC triggers a pulse train of specific duty cycle to a buck converter for producing the required optimal voltage which is used as a SS across the electrodes. Online experimental results with new subjects show that the proposed design is efficacious and adaptable with safety.
Keywords: Biofeedback, Neurostimulator, Skin resistance, supramaximal stimulation, Nerve conduction study (NCS)