Vibrotactile piezoelectric stimulation system with precise and versatile timing control for somatosensory research.
Vibrotactile piezoelectric stimulation system with precise and versatile timing control for somatosensory research.
复制标题
振动触觉压电刺激系统具有精确且多功能的时序控制，适用于体感研究。
DOI：
10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.02.002
复制
发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Okada,Yoshio
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sun,Limin;Okada,Yoshio
背景触觉刺激系统对于研究儿童体感系统非常有用，因为它们无害且安全。基于压电致动器的刺激器很有用，但仍然需要能够提供精确且多功能的激活时间和模式控制的系统。新方法我们已经实现了一种振动触觉刺激系统，可用于行为和脑电图（EEG）和脑磁图（MEG）研究。我们的设计目标是创建一个能够提供多达五个独立控制的机械刺激和精确计时的系统。我们在 LabVIEW 中开发了图形用户界面 (GUI)，它使用基于 Arduino 的控制器来控制商用压电盲文刺激器。我们基于 Metec 盲文设备制作了一个定制的盲文刺激器。结果我们的系统可以控制多达五个触觉刺激器，具有独立的定时控制和可忽略不计的错误。虽然它可以直接用于行为和脑电图研究，但我们系统中的压电刺激器会产生干扰脑电图记录的刺激伪影。我们开发的移动平均减法算法可以消除伪影。该刺激器可用于在没有伪影的情况下测量儿童体感皮层的体诱发磁场。与现有方法的比较我们的系统使用基于嵌入式系统和软件最新进展的基于 GUI 的易于控制的编程方法，提供对一个或多个压电执行器的精确独立控制。与现有的体细胞刺激器相比，我们的系统具有多功能性和精确的刺激定时。结论我们的系统可能对体细胞研究有用。
BackgroundTactile stimulations systems are useful for studying the somatosensory system in children because they are innocuous and safe. Stimulators based on piezoelectric actuator are useful, but there is still a need for such systems capable of providing accurate and versatile control of timing and pattern of activation.New methodWe have implemented a vibrotactile stimulating system useful for behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) research. Our design goal was to create a system capable of providing up to five independently controlled mechanical stimulations with precise timing. We developed a Graphic User Interface (GUI) in LabVIEW, which controls a commercially available piezoelectric braille stimulator using an Arduino based controller. We made a customized braille stimulator based on the Metec Braille device.ResultsOur system can control up to five tactile stimulators with independent timing control and negligible errors. Although it can be directly used for behavioral and EEG research, the piezoelectric stimulators in our system generate stimulus artifacts that interfere with MEG recordings. A moving averaging subtraction algorithm we developed can remove the artifact. The stimulator can be used to measure somatic evoked magnetic fields from the somatosensory cortex of a child without the artifact.Comparison to existing methodsOur system provides an accurate independent control of one or more piezoelectric actuators using a GUI-based easy-to-control programming approach based on recent advances in embedded systems and software. Versatility and precise stimulation timing distinguish our system compared to existing somatic stimulators.ConclusionsOur system may be useful for somatic research.