[Additional further applications of microneurography in the future].

Microneurography has been mainly used in the field of basic science for obtaining information on the physiological phenomena of normal volunteers. Some clinical studies have been reported in the field of the autonomic nervous system. In the future, further applications of microneurography in the clinical situations will be desired. One of such situations is emergency or acute phase of cerebrovascular diseases, for example, at bedside or in intensive care units. Further, the recording equipment would be desired. A portable device was newly developed and is now available for this purpose of information acquistion. Another application of microneurography, i. e. as a research technique in a field intermediate between medical and engineering was introduced. The project aimed to develop an artificial hand that could sense various external stimuli and permit voluntary finger movement. Microneurography was used for conducting the impulses from the surface pressure transducer on the artificial hand and triggering pressure sense in the subject via microstimulation of inserted nerve fibers. Great attention should be paid to insert the needle into various tissues other than a nerve. The epoxy resin coating for insulation was stripped irregularly with the aid of observation using scanning electron microscope. The optimum stripping method for recording nerve activity when tungsten microelectrode needles are employed is still unknown. The insertion technique can be analyzed by ultrasonography. The identification of the needle on the ultrasonographic image is often difficult; however, the needle direction can be easily judged by observation of the motion of the surrounding tissue.