Neural electrode resilience against dielectric damage may be improved by use of highly doped silicon as a conductive material

Flexible IrOx neural electrode for mouse vagus nerve stimulation

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is being actively explored as a treatment for multiple conditions as part of bioelectronic medicine research. Reliable and safe VNS in mouse models is a critical need for understanding mechanisms of these. We report on the development and evaluation of a microfabricated cuff electrode (MouseFlex) constructed of polyimide (PI) and with iridium oxide (IrOx) electrodes that is thermoformed to 86 µm ± 12 µm radius to interface the mouse cervical vagus nerve (r ≈ 50 µm). Innovative bench-top methods were used to evaluate the stimulation stability and electrochemical properties of electrodes. Our aggressive stimulation stability (Stim-Stab) test utilized 1 billion pulses at a 1000 Hz with a current density of 6.28 A/cm2 (1.51 mC/cm2/phase) delivering 3023 × 103 C/cm2 to evaluate electrode lifetimes, and all electrodes remained functional. We also investigated the effects of thermoforming on their impedance, charge storage capacity (CSC), and charge injection capacity (CIC). The modest changes in electrochemical properties indicate that the thermoforming process was well tolerated. Thermoformed electrode safety and efficacy were evaluated in-vivo by performing acute VNS in mice and monitoring their heart and respiration rate as biomarkers. Their electrochemical properties were also measured before, during and after VNS. Bradycardia and bradypnea were reliably induced at stimulation currents of 100 to 200 µA, well below the in-vivo CIC of ∼1250 µA (∼0.5 mC/cm2), supporting their safety and efficacy. The electrode impedance increased and CIC decreased during in-vivo use, but largely reversed these changes in in-vitro testing after enzymatic cleaning, supporting their tolerance for surgical use. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a rapidly growing aspect of healthcare and bioelectronic medicine research. Reliable and safe VNS in mice with small diameter (d ≈ 100 µm) nerves has been a challenge due to achieving intimate contact with the nerve, and the stimulation stability of commonly used electrodes. We demonstrate a microfabricated (MouseFlex) cuff electrode constructed of polyimide with IrOx electrodes that is thermoformed to contact the mouse cervical vagus. Bench studies highlight the stimulation stability exceeded 109 pulses at 6.28 A/cm2 and their electrochemical properties were measured before, during, and after bench and nerve stimulation. Nerve stimulation induced bradycardia and bradypnea at currents below the in-vivo charge injection capacity, supporting their safety, efficacy, and tolerance for surgical handling.

Comparison of the In Vitro and In Vivo Electrochemical Performance of Bionic Electrodes

The electrochemical performance of platinum electrodes was assessed in vitro and in vivo to determine the impact of electrode implantation and the relevance of in vitro testing in predicting in vivo behaviour. A significant change in electrochemical response was seen after electrode polarisation. As a result, initial in vitro measurements were poor predictors of subsequent measurements performed in vitro or in vivo. Charge storage capacity and charge density measurements from initial voltammetric measurements were not correlated with subsequent measurements. Electrode implantation also affected the electrochemical impedance. The typically reported impedance at 1 kHz was a very poor predictor of electrode performance. Lower frequencies were significantly more dependent on electrode properties, while higher frequencies were dependent on solution properties. Stronger correlations in impedance at low frequencies were seen between in vitro and in vivo measurements after electrode activation had occurred. Implanting the electrode increased the resistance of the electrochemical circuit, with bone having a higher resistivity than soft tissue. In contrast, protein fouling and fibrous tissue formation had a minimal impact on electrochemical response. In vivo electrochemical measurements also typically use a quasi-reference electrode, may operate in a 2-electrode system, and suffer from uncompensated resistance. The impact of these experimental conditions on electrochemical performance and the relevance of in vitro electrode assessment is discussed. Recommended in vitro testing protocols for assessing bionic electrodes are presented.

Evaluation of Amorphous Silicon Carbide on Utah Electrode Arrays by Thermal Accelerated Aging. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021;2021:6623-6626. [PMID: 34892626 DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9629701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Long-term microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are essential devices for studying neural activity and stimulating neurons for treating neurological disorders or for recording neural activity to control prosthesis. However, practical use of MEAs is impeded by unreliable chronic stability inside the host body. We are proposing to implement amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) as a replacement for the current standard practice of using Parylene-C encapsulation on commercial Utah electrode arrays (UEAs) manufactured by Blackrock Neurotech. By using thermal accelerated aging (TAA), we can theoretically evaluate the lifetime stabilities in comparatively short time. After 255 days at 87°C in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), a device has theoretically reached ~22 years at 37°C in PBS. We report on a study of an a-SiC UEA using stability criteria of impedance (Z_1kHz < 70 kΩ) and cathodal charge storage capacity (CSC_c > 10 mC/cm²). At 255 days, no total electrode failures have been observed.Clinical Relevance- This research demonstrates the suitability of a-SiC to encapsulate MEAs during under long-term stability in saline environments.

Understanding Charge Transfer on the Clinically Used Conical Utah Electrode Array: Charge Storage Capacity, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Effective Electrode Area

OBJECTIVE

The Utah electrode is used for pre/clinical studies on neural recording and stimulation. Anecdotal and empirical reports on their performance have been made, resulting in variable testing methods. An in depth investigation was performed to understand the electrochemical behaviour and charge transfer mechanisms occurring on these clinically important electrodes.

APPROACH

Platinum and iridium electrodes were assessed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The effective electrode area was measured by reduction of Ru(NH3)63+.

MAIN RESULTS

Pristine Utah electrodes have little to no oxide present and the surface roughness is very low. Pristine iridium electrodes pass charge through capacitance and oxide formation. Hydride and anion adsorption occurs on the platinum electrode. Anodic current oxidises both metal surfaces, altering the charge transfer mechanisms at the electrode-solution interface. The charge storage capacity depends on measurement technique and electrode structure, providing no information on charge transfer mechanisms. Electrode oxidation increases pseudocapacitance, reducing impedance. Charge transfer was non-homogeneous, most likely due to the electrode geometry enhancing charge density at the electrode tip and base. Oxidation of the electrode surface enhanced charge transfer inhomogeneity. The effective electrode area could be measured by reduction of Ru(NH3)63+ and calculated with a finite cone geometry.

SIGNIFICANCE

Increasing electrode pseudocapacitance, demonstrated by metal oxidation, reduces impedance. Increasing electrode capacitance offers a potential route to reducing thermal noise and increasing signal-to-noise ratio of neural recording. The effective electrode area of conical electrodes can be measured. The charge density of the conical electrode was greater than expected on a planar disc electrode, indicating modification of electrode geometry can increase an electrodes safe charge injection capacity. In vivo electrochemical measurements often don't include sufficient details to understand the electrode behaviour. Electrode oxidation most likely accounts for a significant amount of variation in previously published Utah electrode impedance data.

Classifying Intracortical Brain-Machine Interface Signal Disruptions Based on System Performance and Applicable Compensatory Strategies: A Review

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) record and translate neural activity into a control signal for assistive or other devices. Intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) enable high degree-of-freedom BMI control for complex tasks by providing fine-resolution neural recording. However, chronically implanted MEAs are subject to a dynamic in vivo environment where transient or systematic disruptions can interfere with neural recording and degrade BMI performance. Typically, neural implant failure modes have been categorized as biological, material, or mechanical. While this categorization provides insight into a disruption's causal etiology, it is less helpful for understanding degree of impact on BMI function or possible strategies for compensation. Therefore, we propose a complementary classification framework for intracortical recording disruptions that is based on duration of impact on BMI performance and requirement for and responsiveness to interventions: (1) Transient disruptions interfere with recordings on the time scale of minutes to hours and can resolve spontaneously; (2) Reversible disruptions cause persistent interference in recordings but the root cause can be remedied by an appropriate intervention; (3) Irreversible compensable disruptions cause persistent or progressive decline in signal quality, but their effects on BMI performance can be mitigated algorithmically; and (4) Irreversible non-compensable disruptions cause permanent signal loss that is not amenable to remediation or compensation. This conceptualization of intracortical BMI disruption types is useful for highlighting specific areas for potential hardware improvements and also identifying opportunities for algorithmic interventions. We review recording disruptions that have been reported for MEAs and demonstrate how biological, material, and mechanical mechanisms of disruption can be further categorized according to their impact on signal characteristics. Then we discuss potential compensatory protocols for each of the proposed disruption classes. Specifically, transient disruptions may be minimized by using robust neural decoder features, data augmentation methods, adaptive machine learning models, and specialized signal referencing techniques. Statistical Process Control methods can identify reparable disruptions for rapid intervention. In-vivo diagnostics such as impedance spectroscopy can inform neural feature selection and decoding models to compensate for irreversible disruptions. Additional compensatory strategies for irreversible disruptions include information salvage techniques, data augmentation during decoder training, and adaptive decoding methods to down-weight damaged channels.

Toward guiding principles for the design of biologically-integrated electrodes for the central nervous system

Innovation in electrode design has produced a myriad of new and creative strategies for interfacing the nervous system with softer, less invasive, more broadly distributed sites with high spatial resolution. However, despite rapid growth in the use of implanted electrode arrays in research and clinical applications, there are no broadly accepted guiding principles for the design of biocompatible chronic recording interfaces in the central nervous system (CNS). Studies suggest that the architecture and flexibility of devices play important roles in determining effective tissue integration: device feature dimensions (varying from 'sub'- to 'supra'-cellular scales, <10 µm to  >100 µm), Young's modulus, and bending modulus have all been identified as key features of design. However, critical knowledge gaps remain in the field with respect to the underlying motivation for these designs: (1) a systematic study of the relationship between device design features (materials, architecture, flexibility), biointegration, and signal quality needs to be performed, including controls for interaction effects between design features, (2) benchmarks for success need to be determined (biological integration, recording performance, longevity, stability), and (3) user results, particularly those that champion a specific design or electrode modification, need to be replicated across laboratories. Finally, the ancillary effects of factors such as tethering, site impedance and insertion method need to be considered. Here, we briefly review observations to-date of device design effects on tissue integration and performance, and then highlight the need for comprehensive and systematic testing of these effects moving forward.

Characterizing Longitudinal Changes in the Impedance Spectra of In-Vivo Peripheral Nerve Electrodes

Characterizing the aging processes of electrodes in vivo is essential in order to elucidate the changes of the electrode–tissue interface and the device. However, commonly used impedance measurements at 1 kHz are insufficient for determining electrode viability, with measurements being prone to false positives. We implanted cohorts of five iridium oxide (IrOx) and six platinum (Pt) Utah arrays into the sciatic nerve of rats, and collected the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) up to 12 weeks or until array failure. We developed a method to classify the shapes of the magnitude and phase spectra, and correlated the classifications to circuit models and electrochemical processes at the interface likely responsible. We found categories of EIS characteristic of iridium oxide tip metallization, platinum tip metallization, tip metal degradation, encapsulation degradation, and wire breakage in the lead. We also fitted the impedance spectra as features to a fine-Gaussian support vector machine (SVM) algorithm for both IrOx and Pt tipped arrays, with a prediction accuracy for categories of 95% and 99%, respectively. Together, this suggests that these simple and computationally efficient algorithms are sufficient to explain the majority of variance across a wide range of EIS data describing Utah arrays. These categories were assessed over time, providing insights into the degradation and failure mechanisms for both the electrode–tissue interface and wire bundle. Methods developed in this study will allow for a better understanding of how EIS can characterize the physical changes to electrodes in vivo.

Automated reactive accelerated aging for rapid in vitro evaluation of neural implant performance

Novel therapeutic applications for neural implants require miniaturized devices. Miniaturization imposes stricter requirements for reliability of materials. Pilot clinical studies suggest that rapid failure of the miniaturized neural implants in the body presents a major challenge for this type of technology. Traditional evaluations of neural implant performance over clinically relevant durations present time- and resource-intensive experiments in animals. Reactive accelerated aging (RAA) is an in vitro test platform that was developed to expedite durability testing of neural implants, as a screening technique designed to simulate the aggressive physiological environment experienced by the implants. This approach employs hydrogen peroxide, which mimics reactive oxygen species, and a high temperature to accelerate chemical reactions that lead to device degradation similar to that found with devices implanted in vivo. The original RAA system required daily manual maintenance and was prone to variability in performance. To address these limitations, this work introduces automated reactive accelerated aging (aRAA) with closed-loop monitoring components that make the system simple, robust, and scalable. The core novel technology in the aRAA is electrochemical detection for feedback control of hydrogen peroxide concentration, implemented with simple off-the-shelf components. The aRAA can run multiple parallel experiments for high-throughput device testing and optimization. For this reason, the aRAA provides a simple tool for rapid in vitro evaluation of the durability of neural implants, ultimately expediting the development of a new generation of miniaturized devices with a long functional lifespan.

The development of neural stimulators: a review of preclinical safety and efficacy studies

OBJECTIVE

Given the rapid expansion of the field of neural stimulation and the rigorous regulatory approval requirements required before these devices can be applied clinically, it is important that there is clarity around conducting preclinical safety and efficacy studies required for the development of this technology.

APPROACH

The present review examines basic design principles associated with the development of a safe neural stimulator and describes the suite of preclinical safety studies that need to be considered when taking a device to clinical trial.

MAIN RESULTS

Neural stimulators are active implantable devices that provide therapeutic intervention, sensory feedback or improved motor control via electrical stimulation of neural or neuro-muscular tissue in response to trauma or disease. Because of their complexity, regulatory bodies classify these devices in the highest risk category (Class III), and they are therefore required to go through a rigorous regulatory approval process before progressing to market. The successful development of these devices is achieved through close collaboration across disciplines including engineers, scientists and a surgical/clinical team, and the adherence to clear design principles. Preclinical studies form one of several key components in the development pathway from concept to product release of neural stimulators. Importantly, these studies provide iterative feedback in order to optimise the final design of the device. Key components of any preclinical evaluation include: in vitro studies that are focussed on device reliability and include accelerated testing under highly controlled environments; in vivo studies using animal models of the disease or injury in order to assess efficacy and, given an appropriate animal model, the safety of the technology under both passive and electrically active conditions; and human cadaver and ex vivo studies designed to ensure the device's form factor conforms to human anatomy, to optimise the surgical approach and to develop any specialist surgical tooling required.

SIGNIFICANCE

The pipeline from concept to commercialisation of these devices is long and expensive; careful attention to both device design and its preclinical evaluation will have significant impact on the duration and cost associated with taking a device through to commercialisation. Carefully controlled in vitro and in vivo studies together with ex vivo and human cadaver trials are key components of a thorough preclinical evaluation of any new neural stimulator.

Electrochemical Evaluations of Fractal Microelectrodes for Energy Efficient Neurostimulation

Advancements in microfabrication has enabled manufacturing of microscopic neurostimulation electrodes with smaller footprint than ever possible. The smaller electrodes can potentially reduce tissue damage and allow better spatial resolution for neural stimulation. Although electrodes of any shape can easily be fabricated, substantial effort have been focused on identification and characterization of new materials and surface morphology for efficient charge injection, while maintaining simple circular or rectangular Euclidean electrode geometries. In this work we provide a systematic electrochemical evaluation of charge injection capacities of serpentine and fractal-shaped platinum microelectrodes and compare their performance with traditional circular microelectrodes. Our findings indicate that the increase in electrode perimeter leads to an increase in maximum charge injection capacity. Furthermore, we found that the electrode geometry can have even more significant impact on electrode performance than having a larger perimeter for a given surface area. The fractal-shaped microelectrodes, despite having smaller perimeter than other designs, demonstrated superior charge injection capacity. Our results suggest that electrode design can significantly affect both Faradaic and non-Faradaic electrochemical processes, which may be optimized to enable a more energy efficient design for neurostimulation.