title: A Simple fMRI Compatible Robotic Stimulator to Study the Neural Mechanisms of Touch and Pain.
abstract: This paper presents a simple device for the investigation of the human somatosensory system with functional magnetic imaging (fMRI). PC-controlled pneumatic actuation is employed to produce innocuous or noxious mechanical stimulation of the skin. Stimulation patterns are synchronized with fMRI and other relevant physiological measurements like electroencephalographic activity and vital physiological parameters. The system allows adjustable regulation of stimulation parameters and provides consistent patterns of stimulation. A validation experiment demonstrates that the system safely and reliably identifies clusters of functional activity in brain regions involved in the processing of pain. This new device is inexpensive, portable, easy-to-assemble and customizable to suit different experimental requirements. It provides robust and consistent somatosensory stimulation, which is of crucial importance to investigating the mechanisms of pain and its strong connection with the sense of touch.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.|Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. carlo.bagnato12@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bagnato
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Allievi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fabrizi
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saggio
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.|Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arichi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. e.burdet@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Burdet
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008959:Models, Neurological; D010146:Pain; D012371:Robotics; D014110:Touch
keywords: Mechatronics; Nervous system; Nociception
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