Chronic interfacing with the autonomic nervous system using carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn electrodes.

ABSTRACT: The ability to reliably and safely communicate chronically with small diameter (100-300?µm) autonomic nerves could have a significant impact in fundamental biomedical research and clinical applications. However, this ability has remained elusive with existing neural interface technologies. Here we show a new chronic nerve interface using highly flexible materials with axon-like dimensions. The interface was implemented with carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn electrodes to chronically record neural activity from two separate autonomic nerves: the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves. The recorded neural signals maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio (>10?dB) in chronic implant models. We further demonstrate the ability to process the neural activity to detect hypoxic and gastric extension events from the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves, respectively. These results establish a novel, chronic platform neural interfacing technique with the autonomic nervous system and demonstrate the possibility of regulating internal organ function, leading to new bioelectronic therapies and patient health monitoring.

SUBMITTER: McCallum GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5601469 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature