Peripheral Encoding of Vibrotactile Coordinated Reset Stimulation

Vibrotactile coordinated reset (vCR) is a developing non-invasive neuromodulation technique for Parkinson's disease (PD) [1]. It delivers brief, phase-shifted vibration bursts to multiple fingertips to disrupt pathological brain synchrony via the peripheral-to-central somatosensory pathway. We study how vCR structure is represented at the pathway's first stage—the touch receptors. Using TouchSim [2], we simulated whole-hand touch receptor populations responding to precisely timed indentations emulating device outputs, and quantified responses via power spectra and inter-digit population coherence. Compared with single-site periodic stimulation, coordinated multi-site sequences produced distinct spectral lines and broadband components and markedly reduced inter-digit coherence. Effects varied systematically with burst order, phase offsets, duty cycle, and indenter geometry. These results specify how vCR is encoded peripherally and identify parameter regimes that maximize decorrelation while preserving strong afferent drive, yielding testable predictions for optimizing vCR for PD.