Choi Jiwon, Amjad Usamma, Murray Raymond, Shrivastav Ritesh, Teichert Tobias, Goodell Baldwin, Olson Matthew, Schaeffer David J, Oluoch Julia K, Schwerdt Helen N
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
J Neurosci Methods. 2025 Aug;420:110467. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2025.110467. Epub 2025 May 10.
Invasive electrophysiological recordings in subcortical structures of nonhuman primates typically involve implanting electrodes into the brain through a skull-mounted chamber. These electrodes may be attached to the chamber temporarily for hours of neural recording, or permanently for long-term studies. Current challenges involve maintaining asepsis and integrating dual-modality monitoring of both electrical and chemical neural activity.
We developed an implantable neural interface that provides such dual-modality monitoring in monkeys, while maintaining aseptic conditions for year-long periods. We leveraged osseointegrating materials and hermetic sealing strategies to prevent the transmission of pathogenic species, while preserving the modular functionality of chamber systems, such as sensor depth adjustability. The system also features an aspirating port for culturing chamber fluid to ensure continued asepsis.
Our chamber system was shown to provide successful recordings of dopamine and electrical neural activity in two monkeys while maintaining negative bacteria culture results for over a year post-implantation.
Sealed chamber systems prevent contamination and reduce the risk of compromising animal health by minimizing the accumulation of pathogenic organisms. Such sealed chambers also eliminate the need for frequent cleaning. However, neurochemical measurements require specialized electrodes with fragile carbon fiber tips and are not compatible with recently developed, sealed chamber systems.
This advanced chamber design builds upon traditional chamber protocols to enable chronic measurements of chemical and electrical neural activity. This approach facilitates novel ways to study the brain in behaving primates while prioritizing the long-term health and welfare of the animals.
在非人类灵长类动物的皮质下结构中进行侵入性电生理记录通常需要通过安装在颅骨上的腔室将电极植入大脑。这些电极可以临时连接到腔室进行数小时的神经记录，也可以永久连接用于长期研究。当前的挑战包括保持无菌状态以及整合对神经电活动和化学活动的双模态监测。
我们开发了一种可植入神经接口，可在猴子身上实现这种双模态监测，同时保持长达一年的无菌条件。我们利用骨整合材料和气密密封策略来防止病原体传播，同时保留腔室系统的模块化功能，如传感器深度可调性。该系统还设有一个抽吸端口，用于培养腔室液体以确保持续无菌。
我们的腔室系统在两只猴子身上成功记录了多巴胺和神经电活动，植入后一年多细菌培养结果均为阴性。
密封腔室系统可防止污染，并通过尽量减少病原体的积累来降低损害动物健康的风险。这种密封腔室也无需频繁清洁。然而，神经化学测量需要带有脆弱碳纤维尖端的专用电极，并且与最近开发的密封腔室系统不兼容。
这种先进的腔室设计基于传统腔室方案，能够对神经化学和电活动进行长期测量。这种方法有助于以新颖的方式研究行为中的灵长类动物大脑，同时优先考虑动物的长期健康和福利。
