Impact of the angle of implantation of transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrodes on axon activation

Transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrodes are commonly used for the stimulation of the peripheral nervous system. Such electrodes enable accurate stimulation of specific fibres, taking advantage of their selectivity. However, dagger-shaped probes have a degree of freedom on the angle along the tip due to the mechanical properties of nerves. In this paper we model the influence of the probe's yaw angle (with respect to the nerve) on the activation function of axons to evaluate the impact on electrical stimulation. Our results show that the angle of implantation has an influence on stimulation threshold, fibre selectivity and maximal voltage required in the electrical stimulator.