Chronically Implanted Intracranial Electrodes: Tissue Reaction and Electrical Changes

• Main Authors: Andrew Campbell, Chengyuan Wu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-08-01
• Series: Micromachines
• Subjects: intracranial electrodes; foreign body reaction; electrode degradation; glial encapsulation
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/9/9/430

The brain-electrode interface is arguably one of the most important areas of study in neuroscience today. A stronger foundation in this topic will allow us to probe the architecture of the brain in unprecedented functional detail and augment our ability to intervene in disease states. Over many years, significant progress has been made in this field, but some obstacles have remained elusive—notably preventing glial encapsulation and electrode degradation. In this review, we discuss the tissue response to electrode implantation on acute and chronic timescales, the electrical changes that occur in electrode systems over time, and strategies that are being investigated in order to minimize the tissue response to implantation and maximize functional electrode longevity. We also highlight the current and future clinical applications and relevance of electrode technology.