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Orlemann C, Boehler C, Kooijmans RN, Li B, Asplund M, Roelfsema PR. Flexible Polymer Electrodes for Stable Prosthetic Visual Perception in Mice. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2304169. [PMID: 38324245 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202304169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Brain interfaces that can stimulate neurons, cause minimal damage, and work for a long time will be central for future neuroprosthetics. Here, the long-term performance of highly flexible, thin polyimide shanks with several small (<15 µm) electrodes during electrical microstimulation of the visual cortex, is reported. The electrodes exhibit a remarkable stability when several billions of electrical pulses are applied in vitro. When the devices are implanted in the primary visual cortex (area V1) of mice and the animals are trained to detect electrical microstimulation, it is found that the perceptual thresholds are 2-20 microamperes (µA), which is far below the maximal currents that the electrodes can withstand. The long-term functionality of the devices in vivo is excellent, with stable performance for up to more than a year and little damage to the brain tissue. These results demonstrate the potential of thin floating electrodes for the long-term restoration of lost sensory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne Orlemann
- Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Boehler
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Roxana N Kooijmans
- Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
- Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Bingshuo Li
- Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Asplund
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- BrainLinks-BrainTools Center, University of Freiburg, 79110, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 412 96, Sweden
| | - Pieter R Roelfsema
- Department of Vision and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Visual Brain Therapy, Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, F-75012, France
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Centre for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosurgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
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2
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Hudetz AG. Microstimulation reveals anesthetic state-dependent effective connectivity of neurons in cerebral cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.29.591664. [PMID: 38746366 PMCID: PMC11092428 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.29.591664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Complex neuronal interactions underlie cortical information processing that can be compromised in altered states of consciousness. Here intracortical microstimulation was applied to investigate the state-dependent effective connectivity of neurons in rat visual cortex in vivo. Extracellular activity was recorded at 32 sites in layers 5/6 while stimulating with charge-balanced discrete pulses at each electrode in random order. The same stimulation pattern was applied at three levels of anesthesia with desflurane and in wakefulness. Spikes were sorted and classified by their waveform features as putative excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Microstimulation caused early (<10ms) increase followed by prolonged (11-100ms) decrease in spiking of all neurons throughout the electrode array. The early response of excitatory but not inhibitory neurons decayed rapidly with distance from the stimulation site over 1mm. Effective connectivity of neurons with significant stimulus response was dense in wakefulness and sparse under anesthesia. Network motifs were identified in graphs of effective connectivity constructed from monosynaptic cross-correlograms. The number of motifs, especially those of higher order, increased rapidly as the anesthesia was withdrawn indicating a substantial increase in network connectivity as the animals woke up. The results illuminate the impact of anesthesia on functional integrity of local circuits affecting the state of consciousness.
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3
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Wu GK, Ardeshirpour Y, Mastracchio C, Kent J, Caiola M, Ye M. Amplitude- and frequency-dependent activation of layer II/III neurons by intracortical microstimulation. iScience 2023; 26:108140. [PMID: 37915592 PMCID: PMC10616374 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has been used for the development of brain machine interfaces. However, further understanding about the spatiotemporal responses of neurons to different electrical stimulation parameters is necessary to inform the design of optimal therapies. In this study, we employed in vivo electrophysiological recording, two-photon calcium imaging, and electric field simulation to evaluate the acute effect of ICMS on layer II/III neurons. Our results show that stimulation frequency non-linearly modulates neuronal responses, whereas the magnitude of responses is linearly correlated to the electric field strength and stimulation amplitude before reaching a steady state. Temporal dynamics of neurons' responses depends more on stimulation frequency and their distance to the stimulation electrode. In addition, amplitude-dependent post-stimulation suppression was observed within ∼500 μm of the stimulation electrode, as evidenced by both calcium imaging and local field potentials. These findings provide insights for selecting stimulation parameters to achieve desirable spatiotemporal specificity of ICMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangying K. Wu
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Yasaman Ardeshirpour
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Christina Mastracchio
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Jordan Kent
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
- Scientific Publications Department, Society for Neuroscience, Washington DC, USA
| | - Michael Caiola
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Meijun Ye
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
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4
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Lycke R, Kim R, Zolotavin P, Montes J, Sun Y, Koszeghy A, Altun E, Noble B, Yin R, He F, Totah N, Xie C, Luan L. Low-threshold, high-resolution, chronically stable intracortical microstimulation by ultraflexible electrodes. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112554. [PMID: 37235473 PMCID: PMC10592461 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) enables applications ranging from neuroprosthetics to causal circuit manipulations. However, the resolution, efficacy, and chronic stability of neuromodulation are often compromised by adverse tissue responses to the indwelling electrodes. Here we engineer ultraflexible stim-nanoelectronic threads (StimNETs) and demonstrate low activation threshold, high resolution, and chronically stable ICMS in awake, behaving mouse models. In vivo two-photon imaging reveals that StimNETs remain seamlessly integrated with the nervous tissue throughout chronic stimulation periods and elicit stable, focal neuronal activation at low currents of 2 μA. Importantly, StimNETs evoke longitudinally stable behavioral responses for over 8 months at a markedly low charge injection of 0.25 nC/phase. Quantified histological analyses show that chronic ICMS by StimNETs induces no neuronal degeneration or glial scarring. These results suggest that tissue-integrated electrodes provide a path for robust, long-lasting, spatially selective neuromodulation at low currents, which lessens risk of tissue damage or exacerbation of off-target side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Lycke
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Robin Kim
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Pavlo Zolotavin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jon Montes
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Yingchu Sun
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Aron Koszeghy
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esra Altun
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Material Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Brian Noble
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Applied Physics Program, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Rongkang Yin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Fei He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Nelson Totah
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Chong Xie
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
| | - Lan Luan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Rice Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
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5
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Smith TJ, Wu Y, Cheon C, Khan AA, Srinivasan H, Capadona JR, Cogan SF, Pancrazio JJ, Engineer CT, Hernandez-Reynoso AG. Behavioral paradigm for the evaluation of stimulation-evoked somatosensory perception thresholds in rats. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1202258. [PMID: 37383105 PMCID: PMC10293669 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1202258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex via penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can evoke cutaneous and proprioceptive sensations for restoration of perception in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, ICMS current amplitudes needed to evoke these sensory percepts tend to change over time following implantation. Animal models have been used to investigate the mechanisms by which these changes occur and aid in the development of new engineering strategies to mitigate such changes. Non-human primates are commonly the animal of choice for investigating ICMS, but ethical concerns exist regarding their use. Rodents are a preferred animal model due to their availability, affordability, and ease of handling, but there are limited choices of behavioral tasks for investigating ICMS. In this study, we investigated the application of an innovative behavioral go/no-go paradigm capable of estimating ICMS-evoked sensory perception thresholds in freely moving rats. We divided animals into two groups, one receiving ICMS and a control group receiving auditory tones. Then, we trained the animals to nose-poke - a well-established behavioral task for rats - following either a suprathreshold ICMS current-controlled pulse train or frequency-controlled auditory tone. Animals received a sugar pellet reward when nose-poking correctly. When nose-poking incorrectly, animals received a mild air puff. After animals became proficient in this task, as defined by accuracy, precision, and other performance metrics, they continued to the next phase for perception threshold detection, where we varied the ICMS amplitude using a modified staircase method. Finally, we used non-linear regression to estimate perception thresholds. Results indicated that our behavioral protocol could estimate ICMS perception thresholds based on ~95% accuracy of rat nose-poke responses to the conditioned stimulus. This behavioral paradigm provides a robust methodology for evaluating stimulation-evoked somatosensory percepts in rats comparable to the evaluation of auditory percepts. In future studies, this validated methodology can be used to study the performance of novel MEA device technologies on ICMS-evoked perception threshold stability using freely moving rats or to investigate information processing principles in neural circuits related to sensory perception discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Smith
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Yupeng Wu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Claire Cheon
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Arlin A. Khan
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Hari Srinivasan
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Jeffrey R. Capadona
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Advanced Platform Technology Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Stuart F. Cogan
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Joseph J. Pancrazio
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Crystal T. Engineer
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
- Texas Biomedical Device Center, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
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6
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Smith TJ, Wu Y, Cheon C, Khan AA, Srinivasan H, Capadona JR, Cogan SF, Pancrazio JJ, Engineer CT, Hernandez-Reynoso AG. Behavioral Paradigm for the Evaluation of Stimulation-Evoked Somatosensory Perception Thresholds in Rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.04.537848. [PMID: 37205577 PMCID: PMC10187227 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.04.537848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex via penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can evoke cutaneous and proprioceptive sensations for restoration of perception in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, ICMS current amplitudes needed to evoke these sensory percepts tend to change over time following implantation. Animal models have been used to investigate the mechanisms by which these changes occur and aid in the development of new engineering strategies to mitigate such changes. Non-human primates are commonly the animal of choice for investigating ICMS, but ethical concerns exist regarding their use. Rodents are a preferred animal model due to their availability, affordability, and ease of handling, but there are limited choices of behavioral tasks for investigating ICMS. In this study, we investigated the application of an innovative behavioral go/no-go paradigm capable of estimating ICMS-evoked sensory perception thresholds in freely moving rats. We divided animals into two groups, one receiving ICMS and a control group receiving auditory tones. Then, we trained the animals to nose-poke - a well-established behavioral task for rats - following either a suprathreshold ICMS current-controlled pulse train or frequency-controlled auditory tone. Animals received a sugar pellet reward when nose-poking correctly. When nose-poking incorrectly, animals received a mild air puff. After animals became proficient in this task, as defined by accuracy, precision, and other performance metrics, they continued to the next phase for perception threshold detection, where we varied the ICMS amplitude using a modified staircase method. Finally, we used non-linear regression to estimate perception thresholds. Results indicated that our behavioral protocol could estimate ICMS perception thresholds based on ∼95% accuracy of rat nose-poke responses to the conditioned stimulus. This behavioral paradigm provides a robust methodology for evaluating stimulation-evoked somatosensory percepts in rats comparable to the evaluation of auditory percepts. In future studies, this validated methodology can be used to study the performance of novel MEA device technologies on ICMS-evoked perception threshold stability using freely moving rats or to investigate information processing principles in neural circuits related to sensory perception discrimination.
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7
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Hughes C, Kozai T. Dynamic amplitude modulation of microstimulation evokes biomimetic onset and offset transients and reduces depression of evoked calcium responses in sensory cortices. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:939-965. [PMID: 37244370 PMCID: PMC10330928 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is an emerging approach to restore sensation to people with neurological injury or disease. Biomimetic microstimulation, or stimulus trains that mimic neural activity in the brain through encoding of onset and offset transients, could improve the utility of ICMS for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, but how biomimetic microstimulation affects neural activation is not understood. Current "biomimetic" ICMS trains aim to reproduce the strong onset and offset transients evoked in the brain by sensory input through dynamic modulation of stimulus parameters. Stimulus induced depression of neural activity (decreases in evoked intensity over time) is also a potential barrier to clinical implementation of sensory feedback, and dynamic microstimulation may reduce this effect. OBJECTIVE We evaluated how bio-inspired ICMS trains with dynamic modulation of amplitude and/or frequency change the calcium response, spatial distribution, and depression of neurons in the somatosensory and visual cortices. METHODS Calcium responses of neurons were measured in Layer 2/3 of visual and somatosensory cortices of anesthetized GCaMP6s mice in response to ICMS trains with fixed amplitude and frequency (Fixed) and three dynamic ICMS trains that increased the stimulation intensity during the onset and offset of stimulation by modulating the amplitude (DynAmp), frequency (DynFreq), or amplitude and frequency (DynBoth). ICMS was provided for either 1-s with 4-s breaks (Short) or for 30-s with 15-s breaks (Long). RESULTS DynAmp and DynBoth trains evoked distinct onset and offset transients in recruited neural populations, while DynFreq trains evoked population activity similar to Fixed trains. Individual neurons had heterogeneous responses primarily based on how quickly they depressed to ICMS, where neurons farther from the electrode depressed faster and a small subpopulation (1-5%) were modulated by DynFreq trains. Neurons that depressed to Short trains were also more likely to depress to Long trains, but Long trains induced more depression overall due to the increased stimulation length. Increasing the amplitude during the hold phase resulted in an increase in recruitment and intensity which resulted in more depression and reduced offset responses. Dynamic amplitude modulation reduced stimulation induced depression by 14.6 ± 0.3% for Short and 36.1 ± 0.6% for Long trains. Ideal observers were 0.031 ± 0.009 s faster for onset detection and 1.33 ± 0.21 s faster for offset detection with dynamic amplitude encoding. CONCLUSIONS Dynamic amplitude modulation evokes distinct onset and offset transients, reduces depression of neural calcium activity, and decreases total charge injection for sensory feedback in BCIs by lowering recruitment of neurons during long maintained periods of ICMS. In contrast, dynamic frequency modulation evokes distinct onset and offset transients in a small subpopulation of neurons but also reduces depression in recruited neurons by reducing the rate of activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hughes
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, USA
| | - Takashi Kozai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, USA; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NeuroTech Center, University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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8
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Urdaneta ME, Kunigk NG, Peñaloza-Aponte JD, Currlin S, Malone IG, Fried SI, Otto KJ. Layer-dependent stability of intracortical recordings and neuronal cell loss. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1096097. [PMID: 37090803 PMCID: PMC10113640 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1096097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracortical recordings can be used to voluntarily control external devices via brain-machine interfaces (BMI). Multiple factors, including the foreign body response (FBR), limit the stability of these neural signals over time. Current clinically approved devices consist of multi-electrode arrays with a single electrode site at the tip of each shank, confining the recording interface to a single layer of the cortex. Advancements in manufacturing technology have led to the development of high-density electrodes that can record from multiple layers. However, the long-term stability of neural recordings and the extent of neuronal cell loss around the electrode across different cortical depths have yet to be explored. To answer these questions, we recorded neural signals from rats chronically implanted with a silicon-substrate microelectrode array spanning the layers of the cortex. Our results show the long-term stability of intracortical recordings varies across cortical depth, with electrode sites around L4-L5 having the highest stability. Using machine learning guided segmentation, our novel histological technique, DeepHisto, revealed that the extent of neuronal cell loss varies across cortical layers, with L2/3 and L4 electrodes having the largest area of neuronal cell loss. These findings suggest that interfacing depth plays a major role in the FBR and long-term performance of intracortical neuroprostheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Urdaneta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Nicolas G. Kunigk
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Jesus D. Peñaloza-Aponte
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Seth Currlin
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Ian G. Malone
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Shelley I. Fried
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kevin J. Otto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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9
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Lycke R, Kim R, Zolotavin P, Montes J, Sun Y, Koszeghy A, Altun E, Noble B, Yin R, He F, Totah N, Xie C, Luan L. Low-threshold, high-resolution, chronically stable intracortical microstimulation by ultraflexible electrodes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.20.529295. [PMID: 36865195 PMCID: PMC9980065 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.20.529295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) enables applications ranging from neuroprosthetics to causal circuit manipulations. However, the resolution, efficacy, and chronic stability of neuromodulation is often compromised by the adverse tissue responses to the indwelling electrodes. Here we engineer ultraflexible stim-Nanoelectronic Threads (StimNETs) and demonstrate low activation threshold, high resolution, and chronically stable ICMS in awake, behaving mouse models. In vivo two-photon imaging reveals that StimNETs remain seamlessly integrated with the nervous tissue throughout chronic stimulation periods and elicit stable, focal neuronal activation at low currents of 2 μA. Importantly, StimNETs evoke longitudinally stable behavioral responses for over eight months at markedly low charge injection of 0.25 nC/phase. Quantified histological analysis show that chronic ICMS by StimNETs induce no neuronal degeneration or glial scarring. These results suggest that tissue-integrated electrodes provide a path for robust, long-lasting, spatially-selective neuromodulation at low currents which lessen risks of tissue damage or exacerbation of off-target side-effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Lycke
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Robin Kim
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Pavlo Zolotavin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Jon Montes
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Department of Bioenginering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Yingchu Sun
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Aron Koszeghy
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE); University of Helsinki; Helsinki; 00790; Finland
| | - Esra Altun
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Material Science and NanoEngineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Brian Noble
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Applied Physics Program; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Rongkang Yin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Fei He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Nelson Totah
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE); University of Helsinki; Helsinki; 00790; Finland
- Faculty of Pharmacy; University of Helsinki; Helsinki; 00790; Finland
| | - Chong Xie
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Department of Bioenginering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
| | - Lan Luan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Rice Neuroengineering Initiative; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
- Department of Bioenginering; Rice University; Houston; Texas; 77005, United States
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10
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Fiocchi S, Chiaramello E, Marrella A, Bonato M, Parazzini M, Ravazzani P. Modelling of magnetoelectric nanoparticles for non-invasive brain stimulation: a computational study. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 36075197 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac9085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Recently developed magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) provide a potential tool to enable different biomedical applications. They could be used to overcome the intrinsic constraints posed by traditional neurostimulation techniques, namely the invasiveness of electrodes-based techniques, the limited spatial resolution, and the scarce efficiency of magnetic stimulation. APPROACH By using computational electromagnetic techniques, we modelled the behavior of recently designed biocompatible MENPs injected, in the shape of clusters, in specific cortical targets of a highly detailed anatomical head model. The distributions and the tissue penetration of the electric fields induced by MENPs clusters in each tissue will be compared to the distributions induced by traditional TMS coils for non-invasive brain stimulation positioned on the left prefrontal cortex of a highly detailed anatomical head model. MAIN RESULTS MENPs clusters can induce highly focused electric fields with amplitude close to the neural activation threshold in all the brain tissues of interest for the treatment of most neuropsychiatric disorders. Conversely, TMS coils can induce electric fields of several tens of V/m over a broad volume of the prefrontal cortex, but they are unlikely able to efficiently stimulate even small volumes of subcortical and deep tissues. SIGNIFICANCE Our numerical results suggest that the use of MENPs for brain stimulation may potentially led to a future pinpoint treatment of neuropshychiatric disorders, in which an impairment of electric activity of specific cortical and subcortical tissues and networks has been assumed to play a crucial role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Fiocchi
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan, 20133, ITALY
| | - Emma Chiaramello
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan, 20133, ITALY
| | - Alessandra Marrella
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Area della Ricerca, via de Marini 6, Genova, 16149, ITALY
| | - Marta Bonato
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan, 20133, ITALY
| | - Marta Parazzini
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan, 20133, ITALY
| | - Paolo Ravazzani
- Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell'Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milan, 20133, ITALY
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Urdaneta ME, Kunigk NG, Currlin S, Delgado F, Fried SI, Otto KJ. The Long-Term Stability of Intracortical Microstimulation and the Foreign Body Response Are Layer Dependent. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:908858. [PMID: 35769707 PMCID: PMC9234554 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.908858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex (S1) can restore sensory function in patients with paralysis. Studies assessing the stability of ICMS have reported heterogeneous responses across electrodes and over time, potentially hindering the implementation and translatability of these technologies. The foreign body response (FBR) and the encapsulating glial scar have been associated with a decay in chronic performance of implanted electrodes. Moreover, the morphology, intrinsic properties, and function of cells vary across cortical layers, each potentially affecting the sensitivity to ICMS as well as the degree of the FBR across cortical depth. However, layer-by-layer comparisons of the long-term stability of ICMS as well as the extent of the astrocytic glial scar change across cortical layers have not been well explored. Here, we implanted silicon microelectrodes with electrode sites spanning all the layers of S1 in rats. Using a behavioral paradigm, we obtained ICMS detection thresholds from all cortical layers for up to 40 weeks. Our results showed that the sensitivity and long-term performance of ICMS is indeed layer dependent. Overall, detection thresholds decreased during the first 7 weeks post-implantation (WPI). This was followed by a period in which thresholds remained stable or increased depending on the interfacing layer: thresholds in L1 and L6 exhibited the most consistent increases over time, while those in L4 and L5 remained the most stable. Furthermore, histological investigation of the tissue surrounding the electrode showed a biological response of microglia and macrophages which peaked at L1, while the area of the astrocytic glial scar peaked at L2/3. Interestingly, the biological response of these FBR markers is less exacerbated at L4 and L5, suggesting a potential link between the FBR and the long-term stability of ICMS. These findings suggest that interfacing depth can play an important role in the design of chronically stable implantable microelectrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Urdaneta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Morgan E. Urdaneta,
| | - Nicolas G. Kunigk
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Seth Currlin
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Francisco Delgado
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Shelley I. Fried
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kevin J. Otto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Kevin J. Otto,
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12
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Stieger KC, Eles JR, Ludwig K, Kozai TDY. Intracortical microstimulation pulse waveform and frequency recruits distinct spatiotemporal patterns of cortical neuron and neuropil activation. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35263736 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac5bf5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neural prosthetics often use intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) for sensory restoration. To restore natural and functional feedback, we must first understand how stimulation parameters influence the recruitment of neural populations. ICMS waveform asymmetry modulates the spatial activation of neurons around an electrode at 10 Hz; however, it is unclear how asymmetry may differentially modulate population activity at frequencies typically employed in the clinic (e.g. 100 Hz). We hypothesized that stimulation waveform asymmetry would differentially modulate preferential activation of certain neural populations, and the differential population activity would be frequency-dependent. APPROACH We quantified how asymmetric stimulation waveforms delivered at 10 Hz or 100 Hz for 30s modulated spatiotemporal activity of cortical layer II/III pyramidal neurons using in vivo two-photon and mesoscale calcium imaging in anesthetized mice. Asymmetry is defined in terms of the ratio of the duration of the leading phase to the duration of the return phase of charge-balanced cathodal- and anodal-first waveforms (i.e. longer leading phase relative to return has larger asymmetry). MAIN RESULTS Neurons within 40-60µm of the electrode display stable stimulation-induced activity indicative of direct activation, which was independent of waveform asymmetry. The stability of 72% of activated neurons and the preferential activation of 20-90 % of neurons depended on waveform asymmetry. Additionally, this asymmetry-dependent activation of different neural populations was associated with differential progression of population activity. Specifically, neural activity tended to increase over time during 10 hz stimulation for some waveforms, whereas activity remained at the same level throughout stimulation for other waveforms. During 100 Hz stimulation, neural activity decreased over time for all waveforms, but decreased more for the waveforms that resulted in increasing neural activity during 10 Hz stimulation. SIGNIFICANCE These data demonstrate that at frequencies commonly used for sensory restoration, stimulation waveform alters the pattern of activation of different but overlapping populations of excitatory neurons. The impact of these waveform specific responses on the activation of different subtypes of neurons as well as sensory perception merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Stieger
- Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 300 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
| | - James Regis Eles
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 300 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
| | - Kip Ludwig
- Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, XXX, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, UNITED STATES
| | - Takashi D Yoshida Kozai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Fifth Ave, 5059-BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, UNITED STATES
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Kunigk NG, Urdaneta ME, Malone IG, Delgado F, Otto KJ. Reducing Behavioral Detection Thresholds per Electrode via Synchronous, Spatially-Dependent Intracortical Microstimulation. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:876142. [PMID: 35784835 PMCID: PMC9247280 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.876142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has shown promise in restoring quality of life to patients suffering from paralysis, specifically when used in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, these benefits can be hampered by long-term degradation of electrode performance due to the brain's foreign body response. Advances in microfabrication techniques have allowed for the development of neuroprostheses with subcellular electrodes, which are characterized by greater versatility and a less detrimental immune response during chronic use. These probes are hypothesized to enable more selective, higher-resolution stimulation of cortical tissue with long-term implants. However, microstimulation using physiologically relevant charges with these smaller-scale devices can damage electrode sites and reduce the efficacy of the overall device. Studies have shown promise in bypassing this limitation by spreading the stimulation charge between multiple channels in an implanted electrode array, but to our knowledge the usefulness of this strategy in laminar arrays with electrode sites spanning each layer of the cortex remains unexplored. To investigate the efficacy of simultaneous multi-channel ICMS in electrode arrays with stimulation sites spanning cortical depth, we implanted laminar electrode arrays in the primary somatosensory cortex of rats trained in a behavioral avoidance paradigm. By measuring detection thresholds, we were able to quantify improvements in ICMS performance using a simultaneous multi-channel stimulation paradigm. The charge required per site to elicit detection thresholds was halved when stimulating from two adjacent electrode sites, although the overall charge used by the implant was increased. This reduction in threshold charge was more pronounced when stimulating with more than two channels and lessened with greater distance between stimulating channels. Our findings suggest that these improvements are based on the synchronicity and polarity of each stimulus, leading us to conclude that these improvements in stimulation efficiency per electrode are due to charge summation as opposed to a summation of neural responses to stimulation. Additionally, the per-site charge reductions are seen regardless of the cortical depth of each utilized channel. This evocation of physiological detection thresholds with lower stimulation currents per electrode site has implications for the feasibility of stimulation regimes in future advanced neuroprosthetic devices, which could benefit from reducing the charge output per site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas G. Kunigk
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Morgan E. Urdaneta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Ian G. Malone
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Francisco Delgado
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Kevin J. Otto
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Kevin J. Otto,
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14
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Saldanha RL, Urdaneta ME, Otto KJ. The Role of Electrode-Site Placement in the Long-Term Stability of Intracortical Microstimulation. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:712578. [PMID: 34566563 PMCID: PMC8455844 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.712578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracortical microelectrodes are neuroprosthetic devices used in brain-machine interfaces to both record and stimulate neural activity in the brain. These technologies have been improved by advances in microfabrication, which have led to the creation of subcellular and high-density microelectrodes. The greater number of independent stimulation channels in these devices allows for improved neuromodulation selectivity, compared to single-site microelectrodes. Elements of electrode design such as electrode-site placement can influence the long-term performance of neuroprostheses. Previous studies have shown that electrode-sites placed on the edge of a planar microelectrode have greater chronic recording functionality than sites placed in the center. However, the effect of electrode-site placement on long-term intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is still unknown. Here, we show that, in rats chronically implanted with custom-made planar silicon microelectrodes, electrode-sites on the tip of the device outperformed those on both the edge and center in terms of the effect per charge delivered, though there is still a slight advantage to using edge sites over center sites for ICMS. Longitudinal analysis of ICMS detection thresholds over a 16-week period revealed that while all sites followed a similar trend over time, the tip and edge sites consistently elicited the behavioral response with less charge compared to center sites. Furthermore, we quantified channel activity over time and found that edge sites remained more active than center sites over time, though the rate of decay of active sites for center and edge sites was comparable. Our results demonstrate that electrode-site placement plays an important role in the long-term stability of intracortical microstimulation and could be a potential factor to consider in the design of future intracortical electrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya L Saldanha
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Morgan E Urdaneta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Kevin J Otto
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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