By Riddhi Kannabiran
Scientists are developing increasingly advanced technology to understand the human brain, and a new needle thin implant could provide researchers with a more precise way to study brain activity. Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, and University College London, along with other institutions have developed a device called the microfluidic Axialtrode, or the mAxialtrode. This new flexible implant is less than half a millimeter thick and is designed to perform three different functions: recording brain activity, stimulating brain tissue with light, and delivering medication to specific locations of the brain.
The mAxialtrode was created to address limitations in existing brain implants, as most traditional brain electrodes are often made from relatively rigid materials such as silicon. Because the brain is a soft organ and is constantly moving, rigid implants can irritate surrounding tissue and contribute to inflammatory reactions. This new device is made from flexible and plastic-like optical fibers that can move more naturally with brain tissue, reducing risk of inflammation and harm to the organ. Researchers hope that this design will reduce the amount of damage caused because of its softer material.
One of the most unusual features of the mAxialtore is that it can perform several tasks along the length of a single fiber. This is because the center of the implant contains a light conducting core, while microscope channels surrounding it can carry fluids and accommodate extremely thin metal wire. This makes the mAxialtrode significant among other implants, because it combines several forms of brain interaction in an extremely small device. Instead of using separate technologies to record, stimulate, and deliver medication, researchers can potentially perform all three functions through one implant. This could allow future experiments to examine the brain with greater precision while reducing the number of devices required, ultimately reducing patient risk and inflammation of the brain.
The technology could be particularly useful for studying complicated neurological conditions, as many brain processes involve communication between different layers and regions rather than activity in only one location. Researchers believe that the mAxialtrode could help scientists investigate neurological conditions such as epilepsy, as well as further their understanding of brain processes involving memory and decision making. By recording activity and influencing different areas at the same time, researchers may gain a better understanding of how neural circuits communicate.
Overall the needle thin mAxialtrode represents an important and necessary advancement in neuroscience research. Its ability to record neural activity, stimulate brain waves, and deliver medication at different depths could give scientists a new way to investigate neurological conditions. However, because this has only been tested on animals, its potential use in human studies is tentative. If it’s perfected enough to be put into human studies, though, it could be a massive improvement for neuroscientists.