Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, 10027, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, 10027, USA.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Jul;11(27):e2308014. doi: 10.1002/advs.202308014. Epub 2024 Apr 10.
Epidermal electrophysiology is a non-invasive method used in research and clinical practices to study the electrical activity of the brain, heart, nerves, and muscles. However, electrode/tissue interlayer materials such as ionically conducting pastes can negatively affect recordings by introducing lateral electrode-to-electrode ionic crosstalk and reducing spatial resolution. To overcome this issue, biocompatible, anisotropic-conducting interlayer composites (ACI) that establish an electrically anisotropic interface with the skin are developed, enabling the application of dense cutaneous sensor arrays. High-density, conformable electrodes are also microfabricated that adhere to the ACI and follow the curvilinear surface of the skin. The results show that ACI significantly enhances the spatial resolution of epidermal electromyography (EMG) recording compared to conductive paste, permitting the acquisition of single muscle action potentials with distinct spatial profiles. The high-density EMG in developing mice, non-human primates, and humans is validated. Overall, high spatial-resolution epidermal electrophysiology enabled by ACI has the potential to advance clinical diagnostics of motor system disorders and enhance data quality for human-computer interface applications.
表皮电生理学是一种非侵入性的方法，用于研究大脑、心脏、神经和肌肉的电活动。然而，电极/组织中间层材料（如离子导电糊）会通过引入横向电极-电极离子串扰和降低空间分辨率，对记录产生负面影响。为了解决这个问题，开发了具有生物相容性的各向异性导电中间层复合材料（ACI），它与皮肤建立了各向异性的电界面，从而能够应用密集的皮肤传感器阵列。还微加工了高密度、顺应性好的电极，它们附着在 ACI 上，并跟随皮肤的曲线表面。结果表明，与导电糊相比，ACI 显著提高了表皮肌电图（EMG）记录的空间分辨率，允许获取具有独特空间分布的单个肌肉动作电位。在发育中的小鼠、非人类灵长类动物和人类中验证了高密度 EMG。总的来说，ACI 实现的高空间分辨率表皮电生理学有可能推进运动系统障碍的临床诊断，并提高人机界面应用的数据质量。
