Rachel Klemovitch07.10.23
A scientist at EPFL in Switzerland has developed electrode arrays that may be useful for providing a minimally invasive solution for epileptic patients. The electrode can be funneled through a small hole in the skull and deployed over a relatively large surface over the brain’s cortex.
Stephanie Lacour, a professor at EPFL Neuro X Institute, specializes in the development of flexible electrodes that adapt to a moving body, creating better connections with the nervous system. With this expertise she developed minimally invasive electrodes that can be inserted through a human skull.
The first prototype includes an array of electrodes that fits through a hole 2 cm in diameter and when deployed it extends across a surface 4 cm in diameter. Six spiral shaped arms maximize the surface area of the electrode array and increases the number of electrodes in contact with the cortex. It contains straight arms which result in uneven electrode distribution and less surface area in contact with the brain. Due to a spiraled shape the electrode array can be neatly folded inside a cylindrical deployment tube to be inserted through a small hole in the skull.
“Minimally invasive neurotechologies are essential approaches to offer efficient, patient-tailored therapies. We needed to design a miniaturized electrode array capable of folding, passing through a small hole in the skull and then deploying in a flat surface resting over the cortex. We then combined concepts from soft bioelectronics and soft robotics,” said Lacour.
The electrode array almost looks like a rubber glove, with flexible electrodes pattered on one side of each spiral shaped finger. The glove is then inverted and folded inside the cylindrical loader and liquid is inserted into each finger for deployment. Each finger is then inverted right side out as it unfolds over the brain. The electrode pattern is produced by evaporation of flexible gold into very compliant elastomer materials.
The deployable electrode array has been successfully tested in a mini-pig and its results are published in Science Robotics. EPFL spin off from the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectric Interfaces, Neurosoft Bioelectronics, will scale the soft neurotechnology and lead the clinical translation.
Stephanie Lacour, a professor at EPFL Neuro X Institute, specializes in the development of flexible electrodes that adapt to a moving body, creating better connections with the nervous system. With this expertise she developed minimally invasive electrodes that can be inserted through a human skull.
The first prototype includes an array of electrodes that fits through a hole 2 cm in diameter and when deployed it extends across a surface 4 cm in diameter. Six spiral shaped arms maximize the surface area of the electrode array and increases the number of electrodes in contact with the cortex. It contains straight arms which result in uneven electrode distribution and less surface area in contact with the brain. Due to a spiraled shape the electrode array can be neatly folded inside a cylindrical deployment tube to be inserted through a small hole in the skull.
“Minimally invasive neurotechologies are essential approaches to offer efficient, patient-tailored therapies. We needed to design a miniaturized electrode array capable of folding, passing through a small hole in the skull and then deploying in a flat surface resting over the cortex. We then combined concepts from soft bioelectronics and soft robotics,” said Lacour.
The electrode array almost looks like a rubber glove, with flexible electrodes pattered on one side of each spiral shaped finger. The glove is then inverted and folded inside the cylindrical loader and liquid is inserted into each finger for deployment. Each finger is then inverted right side out as it unfolds over the brain. The electrode pattern is produced by evaporation of flexible gold into very compliant elastomer materials.
The deployable electrode array has been successfully tested in a mini-pig and its results are published in Science Robotics. EPFL spin off from the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectric Interfaces, Neurosoft Bioelectronics, will scale the soft neurotechnology and lead the clinical translation.