Magnetic insertion system for flexible electrode implantation

Chronic recording electrodes are a vital tool for brain research and neural prostheses. Despite decades of advances in recording technology, probe structures and implantation methods have changed little over time. Then as now, compressive insertion methods require probes to be constructed from hard, stiff materials, such as silicon, and contain a large diameter shank to penetrate the brain, particularly for deeper structures. The chronic presence of these probes results in an electrically isolating glial scar, degrading signal quality over time. This work demonstrates a new magnetic tension-based insertion mechanism that allows for the use of soft, flexible, and thinner probe materials, overcoming the materials limitations of modern electrodes. Probes are constructed from a sharp magnetic tip attached to a flexible tether. A pulsed magnetic field is generated in a coil surrounding a glass pipette containing the electrode. The applied field pulls the electrode tip forward, accelerating the probe into the neural tissue with a penetration depth that is calibrated against the charge voltage. Mathematical modeling and agar gel insertion testing demonstrate that the electrode can be implanted to a predictable depth given system specific parameters. Trial rodent implantations resulted in discernible single-unit activity on one of the probes. The current prototype demonstrates the feasibility of a tension based, magnetically driven implantation system and opens the door to a wide variety of new minimally invasive probe materials and configurations.