Implanted neural electrodes cause chronic, local inflammation that is correlated with local neurodegeneration
Abstract
Prosthetic devices that are controlled by intracortical electrodes recording one's 'thoughts' are a reality today, and no longer merely in the realm of science fiction. However, widespread clinical use of implanted electrodes is hampered by a lack of reliability in chronic recordings, independent of the type of electrodes used. One major hypothesis has been that astroglial scar electrically impedes the electrodes. However, there is a temporal discrepancy between stabilization of scar's electrical properties and recording failure with recording failure lagging by 1 month. In this study, we test a possible explanation for this discrepancy: the hypothesis that chronic inflammation, due to the persistent presence of the electrode, causes a local neurodegenerative state in the immediate vicinity of the electrode. Through modulation of chronic inflammation via stab wound, electrode geometry and age-matched control, we found that after 16 weeks, animals with an increased level of chronic inflammation were associated with increased neuronal and dendritic, but not axonal, loss. We observed increased neuronal and dendritic loss 16 weeks after implantation compared to 8 weeks after implantation, suggesting that the local neurodegenerative state is progressive. After 16 weeks, we observed axonal pathology in the form of hyperphosphorylation of the protein tau in the immediate vicinity of the microelectrodes (as observed in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies). The results of this s…
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Neuronal loss, signatures of neurodegeneration, and activation of neuronal cell death pathways have been observed in tissue local to devices implanted in the CNS.
“Neuronal loss, signatures of neurodegeneration, and activation of neuronal cell death pathways have been observed in the tissue local to devices implanted in the CNS.[18][19][20]”
From Regenerative Electrode Interfaces for Neural Prostheses. (2016) · cites this paper as [20]
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- Authors
- McConnell, G. C., Rees, H. D., Levey, A. I., Gutekunst, C.-A., Gross, R. E., & Bellamkonda, R. V.
- Affiliations
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Emory University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Neural Engineering
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Published
- 2009-08-21
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 056003
- ISSN
- 1741-2552 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-2560
- OpenAlex
- W1964354844
- Cited by
- 480
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 6.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Neural Engineering (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC006849, R01 DC 06849)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 045072, R01NS045072)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Neurological disorders and treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Keywords
- chronic inflammation, electrode implantation, glial scar, neuronal loss, axonal pathology, tau hyperphosphorylation, tauopathy, stab wounds, electrode geometry, intracortical recording
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain Injuries, Electrodes, Implanted, Inflammation, Male, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Rats
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