Coating could lead to more effective implanted electrodes

Implants are used in treatments such as deep brain stimulation, a method in which a silicon chip placed under the skin emits high-frequency currents that are transferred to the brain through implanted electrodes that transmit and receive the signals.

The technology, used to treat neurological and psychological disorder, requires a seamless interaction between the brain and the hardware.

The brain attacks the electrodes, identified as foreign bodies by the immune system, and forms a barrier to the brain tissue, making it impossible for the electrodes to communicate with brain activity.

Aryeh Taub of Tel Aviv University’s (TAU’s) School of Psychological Sciences, along with Prof Matti Mintz, Roni Hogri and Ari Magal of the university’s School of Psychological Sciences and Prof Yosi Shacham-Diamand of the university’s School of Electrical Engineering, has developed a bioactive coating that not only ‘camouflages’ the electrodes in the brain tissue but actively suppresses the brain’s immune response.

By using a protein called an interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist to coat the electrodes, the multi-disciplinary team of researchers has found a potential resolution to turn a method for short-term relief into a long-term solution. This development was reported in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.