A method for determining the functional
topography of a
peripheral nerve (10) of a user comprising the steps of prearranging an
electrode (100) comprising a number n of channels ci, with i=1, 2 . . . , n, arranging the
electrode (100) in such a way that each channel is in contact with the
peripheral nerve (10) at a respective contact point pi, with i=1, 2 . . . , n, generating a model of a cross section S of the
peripheral nerve (10) where the area A of the cross section S comprises a number m of areas aj, with j=1, 2, . . . , m, computing a
lead field matrix L=[Rj,i], wherein Rj,i is a value that describes the electrostatic relationship between an area aj and a contact point pi of the cross section S, periodic acquisition, by the
electrode (100), of a number n of
voltage values Vki at instants tk, with k=1, 2, . . . , S, obtaining a
voltage matrix V=[Vk,i], with i=1, 2, . . . , n, where Vki is the
voltage value determined by the channel ci at the contact point pi at the instant tk, periodic acquisition, by at least one
medical device, of a number r of values of physiological signals Pk,h of the user at instants tk, with k=1, 2, . . . , s, obtaining a matrix of the physiological signals P=[Pk,h], with h.=1, 2, . . . , r, where Pk k is the value of the h-th physiological
signal determined at the instant tk, computing a discrimination matrix=D=[dh,i], D being function of the matrices V=[Vk,i] and P=[Pk,h], where dh,i is the discrimination coefficient which represents the correlation between the h-th physiological
signal Pk,h and the i-th voltage value Vk,i referred to a same instant ty computing a spatial filtering matrix ΦDBF=[φh,j], φk,j being the localization index which represents the correlation between the h-th physiological
signal and the area aj of said cross section S, generating a functional
topography of said
peripheral nerve (10), for each h-th physiological signal, wherein each area aj, is graphically identified as a function of the corresponding value φh,j associated with it by the spatial filtering matrix ΦDBF.