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- Title
Ultraconformable cuff implants for long-term bidirectional interfacing of peripheral nerves at sub-nerve resolutions.
- Authors
Carnicer-Lombarte, Alejandro; Boys, Alexander J.; Güemes, Amparo; Gurke, Johannes; Velasco-Bosom, Santiago; Hilton, Sam; Barone, Damiano G.; Malliaras, George G.
- Abstract
Implantable devices interfacing with peripheral nerves exhibit limited longevity and resolution. Poor nerve-electrode interface quality, invasive surgical placement and development of foreign body reaction combine to limit research and clinical application of these devices. Here, we develop cuff implants with a conformable design that achieve high-quality and stable interfacing with nerves in chronic implantation scenarios. When implanted in sensorimotor nerves of the arm in awake rats for 21 days, the devices record nerve action potentials with fascicle-specific resolution and extract from these the conduction velocity and direction of propagation. The cuffs exhibit high biocompatibility, producing lower levels of fibrotic scarring than clinically equivalent PDMS silicone cuffs. In addition to recording nerve activity, the devices are able to modulate nerve activity at sub-nerve resolution to produce a wide range of paw movements. When used in a partial nerve ligation rodent model, the cuffs identify and characterise changes in nerve C fibre activity associated with the development of neuropathic pain in freely-moving animals. The developed implantable devices represent a platform enabling new forms of fine nerve signal sensing and modulation, with applications in physiology research and closed-loop therapeutics. Nerve interfaces have the potential to deliver therapythroughout the body by monitoring and modulating function via the peripheral nervous system. Here, the authors present an ultraconformable cuff capable of high-resolution recording and stimulation of nerve activity in freely-moving conditions.
- Subjects
FOREIGN body reaction; ACTION potentials; ARTIFICIAL implants; NEURAL stimulation; NEURALGIA
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2024, Vol 15, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-51988-1