Abnormal Brain Cavity Refunctionalization through Electrode-polymer Implanted Matrices

The human brain contains millimeter up to centimeters wide cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid. After a stroke, abnormal brain cavities may be formed due to prolonged hypoxia. The surviving neurons in the wall of such cavities may have become dysfunctional and may cause symptoms. Restoring their function may be achieved using electrode-polymeric implants, in which surviving neurons are electrically stimulated via the neural implants. The electrodes would be used to probe the neuron activity in the tissues of the cavity walls, while the polymeric scaffold is needed to maintain contact between the electrode and the cavity wall. This asks for advanced implant design because of the variable shape of the cavity and the need for conformity and contact with the wall. In this proposal, the latest advances in materials science are used to design electrode – polymer matrix implant materials combining the required matrix properties of flexibility, plasticity, shape adaptation, biocompatibility, robustness, permeability for fluids with the latest developments of nanoelectrode synthesis. This interdisciplinary research will progress from electrode and polymer matrix design to prototype implant design and its evaluation in an animal model.