I am grateful to my coauthors, Malin Ramne and Prof. Johan Wessberg, for working with me to develop these measures and ensure their multidisciplinary and translational potential within research and healthcare.

You can read the full paper here: journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10....

These measures are generalizable and applicable to any application of somatosensory maps, including grid-based and free-hand drawings, resulting in improved pain characterization and better understanding of the needs and progression of patients experiencing pain.

SPD is derived from optimal transport theory, which quantifies differences between two probability distributions or somatosensory maps. The utility of these measures is demonstrated using data from two studies characterizing somatosensory percepts and neuropathic pain drawings.

SPI is inspired by Piper’s law, which describes the phenomenon of incomplete spatial summation wherein changes in pain area do not yield linearly proportional changes in perceived intensity.

In this paper, we propose two unified measures, Somatosensory Percept Intensity (SPI) and Somatosensory Percept Deviation (SPD), to overcome these limitations and to more accurately quantify longitudinal changes in sensation and pain.

Epimysial electrodes may be better suited for larger muscles and for predicting gross hand movements.

Intramuscular electrodes may be better suited for smaller muscles and predicting finger movements.

Co-authors: Morten B. Kristoffersen, Max Ortiz-Catalan

www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...