Self‐organization of “fibro‐axonal” composite tissue around unmodified metallic micro‐electrodes can form a functioning interface with a peripheral nerve: A new direction for creating long‐term neural interfaces

Lahiri, Amitabha; Delgado, Ignacio Martinez; Sheshadri, Swathi; Ng, Kian Ann; Nag, Sayan; Yen, Shih Cheng; Thakor, Nitish V.

doi:10.1002/mus.24928

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The implantable electroencephalogram (EEG) recording electrodes are one of the most widely adopted tools of brain-computer interface and have been extensively used for the control of intelligent prosthetic limbs, which both are engineered and designed to improve the motor ability of people with dyspraxia [8]. Recent developments in the field of implantable electrical stimulation of nervous tissue have led to a renewed interest in the peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, which owns the potential to restore the limb locomotor function and body sensory of paralysed and limb disabled patients through directly stimulate the residual peripheral nerve [9,10]. Current implantable neural electrodes such as micro-wires [11] and micro-electrode arrays [12] are mostly fabricated with inert metal materials, which have excellent electrical conductivity and appropriate biocompatibility, because of their chemical stability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implantable liquid metal-based flexible neural microelectrode array and its application in recovering animal locomotion functions

Guo

Liu

2017

J. Micromech. Microeng.

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With significant advantages in rapidly restoring the nerve function, electrical stimulation of nervous tissue is a crucial treatment of peripheral nerve injuries leading to common movement disorder. However, the currently available stimulating electrodes generally based on rigid conductive materials would cause a potential mechanical mismatch with soft neural tissues which thus reduces long-term effects of electrical stimulation. Here, we proposed and fabricated a flexible neural microelectrode array system based on the liquid metal GaIn alloy (75.5% Ga and 24.5% In by weight) and via printing approach. Such an alloy with a unique low melting point (10.35 °C) owns excellent electrical conductivity and high compliance, which are beneficial to serve as implantable flexible neural electrodes. The flexible neural microelectrode array embeds four liquid metal electrodes and stretchable interconnects in a PDMS membrane (500 µm in thickness) that possess a lower elastic modulus (1.055 MPa), which is similar to neural tissues with elastic moduli in the 0.1-1.5 MPa range. The electrical experiments indicate that the liquid metal interconnects could sustain over 7000 mechanical stretch cycles with resistance approximately staying at 4 Ω. Over the conceptual experiments on animal sciatic nerve electrical stimulation, the dead bullfrog implanted with flexible neural microelectrode array could even rhythmically contract and move its lower limbs under the electrical stimulations from the implant. This demonstrates a highly efficient way for quickly recovering biological nerve functions. Further, the good biocompatibility of the liquid metal material was justified via a series of biological experiments. This liquid metal modality for neural stimulation is expected to play important roles as biologic electrodes to overcome the fundamental mismatch in mechanics between biological tissues and electronic devices in the coming time.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implantable liquid metal-based flexible neural microelectrode array and its application in recovering animal locomotion functions

Guo

Liu

2017

J. Micromech. Microeng.

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“…The STEER electrode is simple: it is a silicone tube with a tungsten microwire electrode array inside one end and an opening at the other end for a cut peripheral nerve to enter (Fig. 3b) (Blasiak et al, 2019;Lahiri et al, 2016). During implantation, a piece of ischemic adipose tissue from the animal is placed into the tube between the electrode and the nerve ending.…”

Section: Nerves and Wiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the bottom is a demonstration of how longitudinal ENG recordings can be taken from rodents via a headmounted connector while walking. b The STEER electrode is a neuroma interface, designed to limit neuroma growth to within a 150 mm long silicone chamber (top) (Lahiri et al, 2016). Ten weeks after the sciatic nerve of 5 rats was cut and implanted into the STEER electrode, a neuroma had formed (middle).…”

Section: Nerves and Wiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cut wires: The Electrophysiology of Regenerated Tissue

Lowe

Thakor

2021

Bioelectron Med

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When nerves are damaged by trauma or disease, they are still capable of firing off electrical command signals that originate from the brain. Furthermore, those damaged nerves have an innate ability to partially regenerate, so they can heal from trauma and even reinnervate new muscle targets. For an amputee who has his/her damaged nerves surgically reconstructed, the electrical signals that are generated by the reinnervated muscle tissue can be sensed and interpreted with bioelectronics to control assistive devices or robotic prostheses. No two amputees will have identical physiologies because there are many surgical options for reconstructing residual limbs, which may in turn impact how well someone can interface with a robotic prosthesis later on. In this review, we aim to investigate what the literature has to say about different pathways for peripheral nerve regeneration and how each pathway can impact the neuromuscular tissue’s final electrophysiology. This information is important because it can guide us in planning the development of future bioelectronic devices, such as prosthetic limbs or neurostimulators. Future devices will primarily have to interface with tissue that has undergone some natural regeneration process, and so we have explored and reported here what is known about the bioelectrical features of neuromuscular tissue regeneration.

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Liquid Metal as Electronic Medium to Recover Damaged Nerves’ Function

Jing

Long

2018

Liquid Metal Biomaterials

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Self‐organization of “fibro‐axonal” composite tissue around unmodified metallic micro‐electrodes can form a functioning interface with a peripheral nerve: A new direction for creating long‐term neural interfaces

Abstract: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a novel peripheral nerve interface through modulation of normal biologic phenomena. It has potential applications as a chronic implantable neural interface.

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Implantable liquid metal-based flexible neural microelectrode array and its application in recovering animal locomotion functions

Implantable liquid metal-based flexible neural microelectrode array and its application in recovering animal locomotion functions

Cut wires: The Electrophysiology of Regenerated Tissue

Liquid Metal as Electronic Medium to Recover Damaged Nerves’ Function

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