Development of a Novel fMRI Compatible Stimulator System for Tactile Study

摘要

In this paper, we constructed a novel stimulator system that can present quantitatively controllable air puffs for the research of the human somatosensory system with functional magnetic imaging (fMRI). The developed stimulator system consists of an adjustable stimulus regulating apparatus, and a control box, which is synchronized with fMRI. The system allows regulation of 1mm aperture position in both horizontal and vertical plane by using a special customized adjuster. In addition, the stimulus regulating apparatus can suit different experimental requirements and easily be fixed to and untied from the digits. This new adjustable pneumatic air-jet stimulator system is portable, easy-to-assemble, and economical. A validation fMRI experiment indicated that stimulate different phalanx were induced in activation of different somatosensory areas. The developed device is expected to be utilized for fMRI studies of the tactile system.