💬In plain words
What the trial is, and whether it could suit you
The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the somatosensory system through intraneural recording and stimulation of the median nerve in healthy volunteers and participants with upper-limb amputation. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* How does median nerve activity encode tactile perception during different types of mechanical tactile stimulation in healthy subjects?
* How can tactile information be artificially encoded and restored through intraneural microstimulation in both healthy subjects and upper-limb amputee participants? How rich and functionally meaningful is the restored sensory information?
* What are the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying tactile stimulus processing and the associated patterns of brain activation during tactile stimulation?
Participants will undergo median nerve recordings using microneurography during controlled mechanical tacti
Sign in to get the eligibility rules as simple questions to take to your doctor.
📋 Eligibility rules (as published)
Inclusion Criteria:
Healthy participants
* Age between 18-60 years, of any sex
* Signed informed consent
* No neurological diseases
* Presence of both intact upper limbs
* Normal language, visuospatial, and general intellectual abilities, assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) (Appendix 1)
Amputee participants
* Age between 18-60 years, of any sex
* Signed informed consent
* Upper-limb amputation (transradial or hand amputation)
* Stable amputation for at least one year
* Normal language, visuospatial, and general intellectual abilities, assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) (Appendix 1)
* Evidence of residual peripheral nerve function in the stump, based on nerve conduction studies as documented in clinical records
Exclusion Criteria:
Healthy participants
* Conditions affecting perceptual abilities
* Inability to provide informed consent
* Pregnancy or breastfeeding (self-reported)
* Clinical conditions that, in the judgment of the investigator responsible for recruitment, may interfere with microneurography, microstimulation, and EEG procedures
* Current or past substance abuse
* Brain injury with residual motor impairment
* Depression
* Presence of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders
* Diabetes mellitus
* Current or previous dermatological conditions
* Morphological nerve abnormalities, as indicated by ultrasound or MRI findings in clinical records
* Upper-limb amputation
Amputee participants
* Psychological and/or cognitive disorders
* Inability to provide informed consent
* Pregnancy or breastfeeding (self-reported)
* Clinical conditions that, in the judgment of the investigator responsible for recruitment, may interfere with microneurography, microstimulation, and EEG procedures
* Current or past substance abuse
* Brain injury with residual motor impairment
* Depression
* Presence of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders
* Diabetes mellitus
* Current or previous dermatological conditions
* Morphological nerve abnormalities, as indicated by ultrasound or MRI findings in clinical records
* Bilateral upper-limb amputation
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