A drug-loaded flexible substrate improves the performance of conformal cortical electrodes

Cortical electrodes are a powerful tool for the stimulation and/or recording of electrical activity in the nervous system.However,the inevitable wound caused by surgical implantation of electrodes presents bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction risks associated with foreign body exposure.Moreover,inflammation of the wound area can dramatically worsen in response to bacterial infection.These consequences can not only lead to the failure of cortical electrode implantation but also threaten the lives of patients.Herein,we prepared a hydrogel made of bacterial cellulose(BC),a flexible substrate for cortical electrodes,and further loaded antibiotic tetracycline(TC)and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone(DEX)onto it.The encapsulated drugs can be released from the BC hydrogel and effectively inhibit the growth of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.Next,therapeutic cortical electrodes were developed by integrating the drug-loaded BC hydrogel and nine-channel serpentine arrays;these were used to record electrocorticography(ECoG)signals in a rat model.Due to the controlled release of TC and DEX from the BC hydrogel substrate,therapeutic cortical electrodes can alleviate or prevent symptoms associated with the bacterial infection and inflammation of brain tissue.This approach facilitates the development of drug delivery electrodes for resolving complications caused by implantable electrodes.

Brainmask:an ultrasoft and moist microelectrocorticography electrode for accurate positioning and long-lasting recordings

Bacterial cellulose(BC),a natural biomaterial synthesized by bacteria,has a unique structure of a cellulose nanofiberweaved three-dimensional reticulated network.BC films can be ultrasoft with sufficient mechanical strength,strong water absorption and moisture retention and have been widely used in facial masks.These films have the potential to be applied to implantable neural interfaces due to their conformality and moisture,which are two critical issues for traditional polymer or silicone electrodes.In this work,we propose a micro-electrocorticography(micro-ECoG)electrode named“Brainmask”,which comprises a BC film as the substrate and separated multichannel parylene-C microelectrodes bonded on the top surface.Brainmask can not only guarantee the precise position of microelectrode sites attached to any nonplanar epidural surface but also improve the long-lasting signal quality during acute implantation with an exposed cranial window for at least one hour,as well as the in vivo recording validated for one week.This novel ultrasoft and moist device stands as a next-generation neural interface regardless of complex surface or time of duration.