The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
J Neural Eng. 2020 Nov 19;17(6). doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/abc52a.
. The implantation of intraneural electrodes in amputees has been observed to be effective in providing subjects with sensory feedback. However, this implantation is challenging and time consuming. Surgeons must be especially trained to execute the implantation. Therefore, we aimed at developing a novel peripheral intraneural electrode and insertion mechanism, which could drastically reduce the overall implantation time while achieving a high neural selectivity.A new insertion method based on hollow microneedles was developed to realize the prompt and effective simultaneous implantation of up to 14 active sites in a transversal manner. Each needle guided two Pt/Ir microwires through the nervous tissue. After the insertion, the microneedles were released, leaving behind the microwires. Each microwire had one active site, which was coated with poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) to enhance the electrochemical properties. The active sites were characterized by evaluating the impedance, charge storage capacity, and maximum injectable charge. Twelve quick to implant peripheral intraneural electrodes (Q-PINEs) were implanted in four pig sciatic nerves to evaluate the implantation time and neural selectivity. We compared the stimulation of the sciatic nerve with that of its branches.. The average surgical access time was 23 min. The insertion time for 12 electrodes was 6.7 min (std. ±1.6 min). The overall implantation time was reduced by 40.3 min compared to the previously reported values. The Q-PINE system demonstrated a satisfactory performance duringandcharacterization. The electrochemical results showed that the PEDOT coating successfully increased the electrochemical parameters of the active sites.With an average impedance of 1.7 kΩ, a maximum charge level of 76.2 nC could be achieved per active site. EMG recruitment curves showed that 46% of the active sites exhibited selective stimulation of four out of six muscles. The histological analysis indicated that the microwires successfully penetrated the nerve and single fascicles.
. 在截肢患者中植入神经内电极已被观察到可有效提供感觉反馈。然而，这种植入具有挑战性且耗时。外科医生必须经过特别培训才能执行植入。因此，我们旨在开发一种新的周围神经内电极和插入机制，该机制可以大大缩短整体植入时间，同时实现高神经选择性。提出了一种基于空心微针的新插入方法，以实现多达 14 个活性位点的快速有效横向同时插入。每个针引导两根 Pt/Ir 微丝穿过神经组织。插入后，微针被释放，微丝留下。每个微丝有一个活性位点，该活性位点涂有聚 3,4-亚乙基二氧噻吩 (PEDOT) 以增强电化学性能。通过评估阻抗、电荷存储容量和最大可注入电荷量来表征活性位点。将 12 个快速植入式周围神经内电极 (Q-PINE) 植入四只猪坐骨神经中，以评估植入时间和神经选择性。我们比较了坐骨神经和其分支的刺激。平均手术接入时间为 23 分钟。12 个电极的插入时间为 6.7 分钟（标准差±1.6 分钟）。与之前报道的值相比，整体植入时间减少了 40.3 分钟。Q-PINE 系统在植入期间和植入后均表现出令人满意的性能。电化学结果表明，PEDOT 涂层成功增加了活性位点的电化学参数。每个活性位点的平均阻抗为 1.7 kΩ，最大电荷水平可达 76.2 nC。EMG 募集曲线显示，46%的活性位点对六块肌肉中的四块具有选择性刺激。组织学分析表明，微丝成功穿透神经和单个神经束。
