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Patel PR, Welle EJ, Letner JG, Shen H, Bullard AJ, Caldwell CM, Vega-Medina A, Richie JM, Thayer HE, Patil PG, Cai D, Chestek CA. Utah array characterization and histological analysis of a multi-year implant in non-human primate motor and sensory cortices. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:10.1088/1741-2552/acab86. [PMID: 36595323 PMCID: PMC9954796 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acab86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective.The Utah array is widely used in both clinical studies and neuroscience. It has a strong track record of safety. However, it is also known that implanted electrodes promote the formation of scar tissue in the immediate vicinity of the electrodes, which may negatively impact the ability to record neural waveforms. This scarring response has been primarily studied in rodents, which may have a very different response than primate brain.Approach.Here, we present a rare nonhuman primate histological dataset (n= 1 rhesus macaque) obtained 848 and 590 d after implantation in two brain hemispheres. For 2 of 4 arrays that remained within the cortex, NeuN was used to stain for neuron somata at three different depths along the shanks. Images were filtered and denoised, with neurons then counted in the vicinity of the arrays as well as a nearby section of control tissue. Additionally, 3 of 4 arrays were imaged with a scanning electrode microscope to evaluate any materials damage that might be present.Main results.Overall, we found a 63% percent reduction in the number of neurons surrounding the electrode shanks compared to control areas. In terms of materials, the arrays remained largely intact with metal and Parylene C present, though tip breakage and cracks were observed on many electrodes.Significance.Overall, these results suggest that the tissue response in the nonhuman primate brain shows similar neuron loss to previous studies using rodents. Electrode improvements, for example using smaller or softer probes, may therefore substantially improve the tissue response and potentially improve the neuronal recording yield in primate cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paras R. Patel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Elissa J. Welle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Joseph G. Letner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Hao Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Autumn J. Bullard
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Ciara M. Caldwell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Alexis Vega-Medina
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48019, United States of America,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Julianna M. Richie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Hope E. Thayer
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Parag G. Patil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America
| | - Dawen Cai
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48019, United States of America
| | - Cynthia A. Chestek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America,Robotics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States of America, Corresponding author:
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Donahue MJ, Ejneby MS, Jakešová M, Caravaca AS, Andersson G, Sahalianov I, Đerek V, Hult H, Olofsson PS, Głowacki ED. Wireless optoelectronic devices for vagus nerve stimulation in mice. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 36356313 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/aca1e3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Objective.Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a promising approach for the treatment of a wide variety of debilitating conditions, including autoimmune diseases and intractable epilepsy. Much remains to be learned about the molecular mechanisms involved in vagus nerve regulation of organ function. Despite an abundance of well-characterized rodent models of common chronic diseases, currently available technologies are rarely suitable for the required long-term experiments in freely moving animals, particularly experimental mice. Due to challenging anatomical limitations, many relevant experiments require miniaturized, less invasive, and wireless devices for precise stimulation of the vagus nerve and other peripheral nerves of interest. Our objective is to outline possible solutions to this problem by using nongenetic light-based stimulation.Approach.We describe how to design and benchmark new microstimulation devices that are based on transcutaneous photovoltaic stimulation. The approach is to use wired multielectrode cuffs to test different stimulation patterns, and then build photovoltaic stimulators to generate the most optimal patterns. We validate stimulation through heart rate analysis.Main results.A range of different stimulation geometries are explored with large differences in performance. Two types of photovoltaic devices are fabricated to deliver stimulation: photocapacitors and photovoltaic flags. The former is simple and more compact, but has limited efficiency. The photovoltaic flag approach is more elaborate, but highly efficient. Both can be used for wireless actuation of the vagus nerve using light impulses.Significance.These approaches can enable studies in small animals that were previously challenging, such as long-termin vivostudies for mapping functional vagus nerve innervation. This new knowledge may have potential to support clinical translation of VNS for treatment of select inflammatory and neurologic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary J Donahue
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Campus Norrköping, Linköping University, SE-60174 Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Malin Silverå Ejneby
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Campus Norrköping, Linköping University, SE-60174 Norrköping, Sweden.,Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Marie Jakešová
- Bioelectronics Materials and Devices Laboratory, Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - April S Caravaca
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Stockholm Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, MedTechLabs, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden
| | | | - Ihor Sahalianov
- Bioelectronics Materials and Devices Laboratory, Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vedran Đerek
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Bijenička c. 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Henrik Hult
- Stockholm Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, MedTechLabs, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Mathematics, KTH, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peder S Olofsson
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Stockholm Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, MedTechLabs, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.,Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States of America
| | - Eric Daniel Głowacki
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Campus Norrköping, Linköping University, SE-60174 Norrköping, Sweden.,Bioelectronics Materials and Devices Laboratory, Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
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Abstract
When nerves are damaged by trauma or disease, they are still capable of firing off electrical command signals that originate from the brain. Furthermore, those damaged nerves have an innate ability to partially regenerate, so they can heal from trauma and even reinnervate new muscle targets. For an amputee who has his/her damaged nerves surgically reconstructed, the electrical signals that are generated by the reinnervated muscle tissue can be sensed and interpreted with bioelectronics to control assistive devices or robotic prostheses. No two amputees will have identical physiologies because there are many surgical options for reconstructing residual limbs, which may in turn impact how well someone can interface with a robotic prosthesis later on. In this review, we aim to investigate what the literature has to say about different pathways for peripheral nerve regeneration and how each pathway can impact the neuromuscular tissue’s final electrophysiology. This information is important because it can guide us in planning the development of future bioelectronic devices, such as prosthetic limbs or neurostimulators. Future devices will primarily have to interface with tissue that has undergone some natural regeneration process, and so we have explored and reported here what is known about the bioelectrical features of neuromuscular tissue regeneration.
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