Electrode for the treatment of epilepsy

2023: Electrode Announcement

On May 11, 2023, Swiss researchers at Lausanne's École Polytechnique Federal reported the development of an innovative flexible electrode that could help treat epilepsy, a chronic, noncommunicable brain disease that affects people at any age.

One of the methods of treating epilepsy is electrical stimulation: this approach is used when drug treatment does not give the expected result. The procedure requires implantation of brain electrodes, which is associated with complex surgery. The new technology simplifies the corresponding process.

A robotic electrode has been created that inserts into the brain, opens up and evaluates its work

Swiss scientists have developed a flexible robotic electrode that can implant through a small hole in the skull with a diameter of about 2 cm. After that, the structure opens, which allows you to cover an area about 4 cm across. The system makes it possible to conduct electrocorticographic measurements on a significant area of ​ ​ the brain surface with minimally invasive intervention.

The development looks like a flower with six petals. The robotic electrode is delivered through a small cylindrical tube when folded. After the introduction, the "petals" are opened: for this, a small amount of neutral liquid is pumped into the array of hoses. The technology provides for the use of the so-called turnaround activation mechanism: this allows you to carefully turn each hand above the surface of the brain - one at a time. Thus, maximum effective fit is achieved.

We needed to develop a miniature electrode grid that could fold, pass through a small hole in the skull, and then open on a flat surface. To solve the problem, we combined the concepts of soft bioelectronics and flexible robotics, "says Stéphanie Lacour, one of the authors of the work.[1]

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