Whole nerve recordings with the spiral nerve cuff electrode

The feasibility of whole nerve recordings from the hypoglossal (HG) nerve is demonstrated in acute cats using the spiral nerve cuff electrode. A good contact between the nerve and the electrodes, provided by the spiral nerve cuff due to its self-coiling property, should improve the signal-to-noise ratio. An instrumentation amplifier with very low input noise characteristics is also utilized. The performance of the spiral cuff is studied in terms of signal-to-noise ratios and frequency characteristics. We conclude that the spiral nerve cuff electrode can reliably be used for acute recordings in a laboratory environment.<>