A comparative study of three techniques for diameter selective fiber activation in the vagal nerve: anodal block, depolarizing prepulses and slowly rising pulses

The paper shows selective smaller fiber activation in the left and right vagal nerve in in vivo experiments in pigs using three different techniques: anodal block, depolarizing prepulses and slowly rising pulses. All stimulation techniques were performed with the same experimental setup. The techniques have been compared in relation to maximum achievable suppression of nerve activity, maximum required current, maximum achievable stimulation frequency and the required charge per phase. Suppression of the largest fiber activity (expressed as a percentage of the maximum response) was 0-40% for anodal block, 10-25% for depolarizing prepulses and 40-50% for slowly rising pulses (duration up to 5 ms). Incomplete suppression of activation was mainly attributed to the large size of the vagal nerve (3.0-3.5 mA) which resulted in a large difference of the excitation thresholds of nerve fibers at different distances from the electrode, as well as a relatively short duration of slowly rising pulses. The technique of anodal block required the highest currents. The techniques of slowly rising pulses and anodal block required comparable charge per phase that was larger than for the technique of depolarizing prepulses. Depolarizing prepulses were an optimal choice regarding maximum required current and charge per phase but were very sensitive to small changes of the current amplitude. The other two techniques were more robust regarding small changes of stimulation parameters. The maximum stimulation frequency, using typical values of stimulation parameters, was 105 Hz for depolarizing prepulses, 30 Hz for anodal block and 28 Hz for slowly rising pulses. Only a technique of depolarizing prepulses had a charge per phase within the safe limits. For the other two techniques it would be necessary to optimize the shape of a stimulation pulse in order to reduce the charge per phase.