Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University; Advanced Platform Technology Center, Rehabilitation Research and Development, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas.
J Vis Exp. 2022 Jun 8(184). doi: 10.3791/63500.
Intracortical microelectrodes hold great therapeutic potential. But they are challenged with significant performance reduction after modest implantation durations. A substantial contributor to the observed decline is the damage to the neural tissue proximal to the implant and subsequent neuroinflammatory response. Efforts to improve device longevity include chemical modifications or coating applications to the device surface to improve the tissue response. Development of such surface treatments is typically completed using non-functional "dummy" probes that lack the electrical components required for the intended application. Translation to functional devices requires additional consideration given the fragility of intracortical microelectrode arrays. Handling tools greatly facilitate surface treatments to assembled devices, particularly for modifications that require long procedural times. The handling tools described here are used for surface treatments applied via gas-phase deposition and aqueous solution exposure. Characterization of the coating is performed using ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A comparison of electrical impedance spectroscopy recordings before and after the coating procedure on functional devices confirmed device integrity following modification. The described tools can be readily adapted for alternative electrode devices and treatment methods that maintain chemical compatibility.
皮层内微电极具有很大的治疗潜力。但在适度的植入时间后，它们的性能会显著降低。导致观察到的下降的一个重要因素是植入物附近的神经组织损伤和随后的神经炎症反应。为了提高设备的使用寿命，人们努力对设备表面进行化学改性或涂层处理，以改善组织反应。这种表面处理的开发通常使用缺乏所需电组件的非功能“假”探头来完成。鉴于皮层内微电极阵列的脆弱性，需要对功能设备进行额外的考虑。处理工具极大地促进了对组装设备的表面处理，特别是对于需要长时间处理的修改。这里描述的处理工具用于通过气相沉积和水溶液暴露进行的表面处理。使用椭圆光度法和 X 射线光电子能谱法对涂层进行了表征。在对功能设备进行涂层前后的阻抗谱记录的比较证实了修饰后的设备完整性。描述的工具可以很容易地适应其他电极设备和处理方法，只要这些方法保持化学兼容性。
