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Directional leads applied to spinal cord stimulation: A computational modelling study.

Overview

Authors: Zhen Wu1,2, Nianshuang Wu1,2, Penghao Wang1,2, Cheng Zhang1,2, Changzhe Wu1, Xiaolin Huo1,2, Guanghao Zhang1,2
ORCID iDs: Guanghao Zhang
  1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioelectromagnetism, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  2. School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences (China); Institute of Electrical Engineering (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)
Journal: PloS one, volume 21, issue 4, article e0345287
Dates: received 14 July 2025; accepted 4 March 2026; published online 2 April 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0345287 · PMID 41926484 · PMCID PMC13046245 · OpenAlex W7148526888
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: computational modeling (no new data) (modality), human (organism), computational (subfield)
Methods: Preprocessing
MeSH: Computer Simulation*, Models, Neurological*, Spinal Cord*, Spinal Cord Stimulation*, Action Potentials, Humans, Nerve Fibers (* major topic)
Topic: Pain Management and Treatment (Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 33 references in the paper

Abstract

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is widely used to treat various types of pain. Directional leads, which exhibit directional focusing properties, have been applied in deep brain stimulation. Their targeting capability holds potential for further enhancing clinical SCS protocols. However, the actual stimulation effects of directional leads remain unclear and require further investigation. This study employed a computational modelling approach to develop SCS simulation models and a multi-compartment cable model of sensory fibers. These models were used to simulate the stimulation effects of directional leads in the human spinal cord. According to the reciprocity theorem, the evoked compound action potential (ECAP) generated by activated nerve fibers at recording contacts was calculated. Compared to traditional percutaneous leads, directional leads produced higher electric field strength and activating function in the spinal cord under the same current intensity, thereby activating a greater number of nerve fibers. Furthermore, increasing the angle between contacts further enhanced the advantages of directional leads. When the directional lead was rotated, the stimulation direction deviated from directly facing the spinal cord, resulting in a decreased number of activated nerve fibers. Under identical stimulation conditions, ECAP amplitudes recorded at different directional contacts showed variation; however, these differences remained within 6%. This study demonstrated the directional focusing advantage of directional leads and compared ECAP outcomes under varying conditions. The findings provide a solid theoretical foundation for the clinical application of directional leads.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

Datasets cited

Data Availability

All data files are available from the Figshare database (DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29558654).

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 7 MeSH terms, 33 references.

Cite

This paper

Wu, Z., Wu, N., Wang, P., Zhang, C., Wu, C., Huo, X., & Zhang, G. (2026). Directional leads applied to spinal cord stimulation: A computational modelling study. PloS one, 21(4), e0345287. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345287

BibTeX

@article{wu2026directional,
author = {Wu, Zhen and Wu, Nianshuang and Wang, Penghao and Zhang, Cheng and Wu, Changzhe and Huo, Xiaolin and Zhang, Guanghao},
title = {{Directional leads applied to spinal cord stimulation: A computational modelling study}},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2026},
month = apr,
volume = {21},
number = {4},
pages = {e0345287},
publisher = {PLOS},
issn = {1932-6203},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0345287},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345287},
pmid = {41926484},
pmcid = {PMC13046245}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Wu, Zhen
AU - Wu, Nianshuang
AU - Wang, Penghao
AU - Zhang, Cheng
AU - Wu, Changzhe
AU - Huo, Xiaolin
AU - Zhang, Guanghao
TI - Directional leads applied to spinal cord stimulation: A computational modelling study
T2 - PloS one
J2 - PLoS One
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/04/02
VL - 21
IS - 4
SP - e0345287
SN - 1932-6203
PB - PLOS
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0345287
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0345287
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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