Dataset Information

Targeting CD14 on blood derived cells improves intracortical microelectrode performance.

ABSTRACT: Intracortical microelectrodes afford researchers an effective tool to precisely monitor neural spiking activity. Additionally, intracortical microelectrodes have the ability to return function to individuals with paralysis as part of a brain computer interface. Unfortunately, the neural signals recorded by these electrodes degrade over time. Many strategies which target the biological and/or materials mediating failure modes of this decline of function are currently under investigation. The goal of this study is to identify a precise cellular target for future intervention to sustain chronic intracortical microelectrode performance. Previous work from our lab has indicated that the Cluster of Differentiation 14/Toll-like receptor pathway (CD14/TLR) is a viable target to improve chronic laminar, silicon intracortical microelectrode recordings. Here, we use a mouse bone marrow chimera model to selectively knockout CD14, an innate immune receptor, from either brain resident microglia or blood-derived macrophages, in order to understand the most effective targets for future therapeutic options. Using single-unit recordings we demonstrate that inhibiting CD14 from the blood-derived macrophages improves recording quality over the 16 week long study. We conclude that targeting CD14 in blood-derived cells should be part of the strategy to improve the performance of intracortical microelectrodes, and that the daunting task of delivering therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier may not be needed to increase intracortical microelectrode performance.

SUBMITTER: Bedell HW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5841759 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Targeting CD14 on blood derived cells improves intracortical microelectrode performance.

Bedell Hillary W HW Hermann John K JK Ravikumar Madhumitha M Lin Shushen S Rein Ashley A Li Xujia X Molinich Emily E Smith Patrick D PD Selkirk Stephen M SM Miller Robert H RH Sidik Steven S Taylor Dawn M DM Capadona Jeffrey R JR

Biomaterials 20180213

Intracortical microelectrodes afford researchers an effective tool to precisely monitor neural spiking activity. Additionally, intracortical microelectrodes have the ability to return function to individuals with paralysis as part of a brain computer interface. Unfortunately, the neural signals recorded by these electrodes degrade over time. Many strategies which target the biological and/or materials mediating failure modes of this decline of function are currently under investigation. The goal ...[more]

PMID: 29471127

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Project description:Brain-implanted microelectrode arrays show promise as future clinical devices. However, biological responses to various designs, compositions and locations of these implants have not been fully characterized, and may impact the long-term functionality of these devices. In order to improve our understanding of the tissue conditions at the interface of chronic brain-implanted microdevices, we proposed utilizing advanced histology and microscopy techniques to image implanted devices and surrounding tissue intact within brain slices. We then proposed utilizing these methods to examine whether depth within the cerebral cortex affected tissue conditions around implants.Histological data was collected from rodent brain slices containing intact, intracortical microdevices four weeks after implantation surgery. Thick tissue sections containing the chronic implants were processed with fluorescent antibody labels, and imaged in an optical clearing solution using laser confocal microscopy.Tissue surrounding microdevices exhibited two major depth-related phenomena: a non-uniform microglial coating along the device length and a dense mass of cells surrounding the implant in cerebral cortical layers I and II. Detailed views of the monocyte-derived immune cells improve our understanding of the close and complex association that immune cells have with chronic brain implants, and illuminated a possible relationship between cortical depth and the intensity of a chronic monocyte response around penetrating microdevices. The dense mass of cells contained vimentin, a protein not typically expressed highly in CNS cells, evidence that non-CNS cells likely descended down the face of the penetrating devices from the pial surface.Image data of highly non-uniform and depth-dependent biological responses along a device provides novel insight into the complexity of the tissue response to penetrating brain-implanted microdevices. The presented work also demonstrates the value of in situ histological collection of brain implants for studying the complex tissue changes that occur, and the utility of pairing thick-tissue histology with appropriate optical clearing solutions.

Project description:Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) using chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have the potential to restore lost function to people with disabilities if they work reliably for years. Current sensors fail to provide reliably useful signals over extended periods of time for reasons that are not clear. This study reports a comprehensive retrospective analysis from a large set of implants of a single type of intracortical MEA in a single species, with a common set of measures in order to evaluate failure modes.Since 1996, 78 silicon MEAs were implanted in 27 monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We used two approaches to find reasons for sensor failure. First, we classified the time course leading up to complete recording failure as acute (abrupt) or chronic (progressive). Second, we evaluated the quality of electrode recordings over time based on signal features and electrode impedance. Failure modes were divided into four categories: biological, material, mechanical, and unknown.Recording duration ranged from 0 to 2104 days (5.75 years), with a mean of 387 days and a median of 182 days (n = 78). Sixty-two arrays failed completely with a mean time to failure of 332 days (median = 133 days) while nine array experiments were electively terminated for experimental reasons (mean = 486 days). Seven remained active at the close of this study (mean = 753 days). Most failures (56%) occurred within a year of implantation, with acute mechanical failures the most common class (48%), largely because of connector issues (83%). Among grossly observable biological failures (24%), a progressive meningeal reaction that separated the array from the parenchyma was most prevalent (14.5%). In the absence of acute interruptions, electrode recordings showed a slow progressive decline in spike amplitude, noise amplitude, and number of viable channels that predicts complete signal loss by about eight years. Impedance measurements showed systematic early increases, which did not appear to affect recording quality, followed by a slow decline over years. The combination of slowly falling impedance and signal quality in these arrays indicates that insulating material failure is the most significant factor.This is the first long-term failure mode analysis of an emerging BCI technology in a large series of non-human primates. The classification system introduced here may be used to standardize how neuroprosthetic failure modes are evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential for these arrays to record for many years, but achieving reliable sensors will require replacing connectors with implantable wireless systems, controlling the meningeal reaction, and improving insulation materials. These results will focus future research in order to create clinical neuroprosthetic sensors, as well as valuable research tools, that are able to safely provide reliable neural signals for over a decade.

Dataset Information

Targeting CD14 on blood derived cells improves intracortical microelectrode performance.

Publications

Targeting CD14 on blood derived cells improves intracortical microelectrode performance.

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