Selective recording of electroneurograms from the left vagus nerve of a dog during stimulation of cardiovascular or respiratory systems

Selective electroneurograms (ENGs) from superficial regions of the left vagus nerve of a dog were recorded with a 33-electrode spiral cuff (cuff) implanted on the nerve at the neck in an adult Beagle dog. The electrodes in the cuff were arranged in thirteen groups of three electrodes (GTE 1-13). To identify the relative positions of the particular nerve regions that innervated the heart and lungs, stimulating pulses (2 mA, 200 micros, 20 Hz) were individually delivered to all thirteen GTEs. It was shown that by delivering stimulating pulses to GTEs 4 and 9, heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate were modulated. Precisely, only when the stimuli were delivered to GTE 9, the heart rate began to fall and only when the stimuli were delivered to GTE 4 the rate of breathing decreased. To test the selectivity of recording the above-defined groups GTEs 4 and 9 and randomly chosen GTEs 1 and 7 were simultaneously used as recording GTEs while cardio-vascular or respiratory systems were stimulated by carotid artery compression, epinephrine injection and non-invasive, positive end-pressure ventilation. Results showed that stimulations elicited site-specific changes in ENG power spectra recorded from the superficial regions of the vagus nerve. Power spectrum of the ENG recorded with GTE 9, contained frequencies belonging to the neural activity elicited by compression of the carotid artery and injection of epinephrine. The power spectrum of the ENG recorded with GTE 4, contained frequencies belonging to the neural activity elicited by non-invasive, positive end-expiratory pressure ventilation. We concluded that the multi-electrode nerve cuff enables selective stimulation and recording of nerve activity from internal organs.