title: Computation of the electrical potential inside the nerve induced by an electrical stimulus.
abstract: The aim is to investigate the activation conditions of the different nerves which control the bladder. The selective stimulation of the nerve fibers depends on electrode configuration and intensity of applied current. The goal of this study is to compute the electrical potential inside the nerve due to an applied boundary currents. A symmetrically cylindrical model, representing the geometry and electrical conductivity of a nerve surrounded by a connective tissue and a cuff is used. In the quasistatic approximation, the problem can be modeled by a Poisson equation with Neumann boundary conditions. A symmetric boundary integral formulation is discretized using mixed finite elements. We can thus compute an electrical potential distribution depending on the electrode configuration and the applied current inside a nerve. Our results show that the distribution of the electrical potential inside a nerve or a fascicle depends on the geometry of the electrode and the shape of the applied current.
authors.affiliation: Odyssée Laboratory-ENPC/ENS/INRIA, 2004 Route des Lucioles, BP93, 06902, Sophia-Antipolis, France. Sabir.Jacquir@sophia.inria.fr
authors.forename: Sabir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacquir
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fruitet
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guiraud
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clerc
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004566:Electrodes; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D016012:Poisson Distribution