Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.
ACS Nano. 2013 May 28;7(5):3887-95. doi: 10.1021/nn305164c. Epub 2013 Apr 19.
The ongoing interest in densely packed miniaturized electrode arrays for high-resolution epicortical recordings has induced many researchers to explore the use of nanomaterial coatings to reduce electrode impedance while increasing signal-to-noise ratio and charge injection capability. Although these materials are very effective, their use in clinical practice is strongly inhibited by concerns about the potential risks derived from the use of nanomaterials in direct contact with the human brain. In this work we propose a novel approach to safely couple nanocoated electrodes to the brain surface by encapsulating them with a biocompatible hydrogel. We prove that fibrin hydrogel coating over nanocoated high-density arrays of epicortical microelectrodes is electrically transparent and allows avoiding direct exposure of the brain tissue to the nanocoatings while maintaining all the advantages derived from the nanostructured electrode surface. This method may make available acute and sub-acute neural recordings with nanocoated high-resolution arrays for clinical applications.
目前，人们对高密度、小型化的电极阵列在高分辨率脑皮质记录中的应用非常感兴趣，这促使许多研究人员探索使用纳米材料涂层来降低电极阻抗，同时提高信噪比和电荷注入能力。尽管这些材料非常有效，但由于担心纳米材料在与大脑直接接触时可能带来的潜在风险，它们在临床实践中的应用受到了强烈抑制。在这项工作中，我们提出了一种将纳米涂层电极与脑表面安全耦合的新方法，即将其封装在生物相容性水凝胶中。我们证明，在纳米涂层的高密度脑皮质微电极阵列上覆盖纤维蛋白水凝胶涂层具有电透明性，可以避免脑组织直接暴露于纳米涂层，同时保持来自纳米结构化电极表面的所有优势。这种方法可能为临床应用提供带有纳米涂层的高分辨率阵列的急性和亚急性神经记录。
