Mechano-neuromodulation of autonomic pelvic nerve for underactive bladder: A triboelectric neurostimulator integrated with flexible neural clip interface

Mechano-neuromodulation of autonomic pelvic nerves was demonstrated for the first time using a triboelectric neurostimulator integrated with flexible neural clip interface. The detailed stimulation parameters such as current, pulse width, and charges generated by the proposed TENG were investigated for the stimulation of autonomic pelvic nerve. In in vivo experiments, different beats per minute (BPM) were delivered to the nerves to investigate the effect of stimulation frequency on mechano-neurostimulation while monitoring changes in bladder pressure and the occurrence of micturition. Furthermore, different numbers of pulses were applied to stimulate the pelvic nerve. The bladder contractions with micturition were observed when applying more than 50 BPM as well as one pulse. Comparison of stimulation was performed using a commercial stimulator with the similar long-pulse widths as generated by TENGs. In addition, chronic implantation of flexible clip interface was demonstrated with functionality test of the interface. The results demonstrate that this technology may potentially be used for self-powered mechano-neuromodulation for bladder function in the future.