IBS Brain Science Imaging Research Group·KIST Bionics Research Center Joint Research Team,
Overview and actual appearance of the shape-transforming cerebral cortex adhesive elastic electronic patch developed by the joint research team of IBS and KIST/IBS,
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‘A technology has emerged that diagnoses the degree of symptoms manifested differently in each patient with brain disorders through brainwaves and provides personalized treatment methods.’,
‘The research team led by Research Fellows Son Dong-hee, Brain Science Imaging Research Group of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, Professor of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University) and Shin Mi-kyung, Research Fellow of the Global BioMedical Engineering Department at Sungkyunkwan University, jointly developed a new brain interface, the elastic electronic patch, which adheres uniformly and firmly to the cerebral cortex, with the research team led by Research Fellow Kim Hyung-min at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Bionics Research Center, announced on the 19th.’,
‘Intractable brain diseases affect millions of patients worldwide. It is a refractory disease that does not respond to drug therapy. Recently, focused ultrasound neuromodulation has emerged to stimulate lesion tissues to relieve neurological symptoms in the treatment of intractable brain diseases.’,
‘Focused ultrasound neuromodulation has sometimes had reverse effects due to the inability to match the diverse brain neural structures of patients. In order to address this, a method of ‘closed-loop neuromodulation’ has been developed that detects changes in brainwaves caused by ultrasound stimulation and promptly provides the optimal stimulation conditions to the patient.’,
‘To create a closed-loop neuromodulation system based on ultrasound, a brainwave measuring technology that utilizes real-time feedback information on electrical signals generated on the surface of the brain is required. However, the conventional electrode components for measuring cortical conduction were stiff and not flexible to conform to the complex curvature of brain tissues, making it difficult to adhere to the brain’s surface. It was also challenging to fix them according to the brain’s subtle movements, thereby making long-term brainwave measurements difficult.’,
‘The electronic patch developed by the joint research team of IBS and KIST overcomes these limitations. The researchers created an elastic electronic patch that can change shape through a double-layered patch composed of adhesive hydrogel and a shape-transforming substrate, along with a flexible and convoluted wiring structure.’,
‘When the researchers attached the developed electronic patch to the brain tissue, the adhesive hydrogel absorbed fluids from the contact surface and attached to the surface within seconds. The firmly attached electronic patch on the brain surface remained stable even against vibrations, suppressed noise generation, and accurately measured cortical conduction. When the researchers experimented by attaching this electronic patch to a mouse model with induced epilepsy, they were able to monitor stable brainwaves even while the subject was moving freely.’,
‘Research Fellow Son Dong-hee commented, “We have taken a step closer to personalized treatment for intractable brain diseases by being able to measure the real-time neural activity of individual patients in response to ultrasound stimulation,” and added, “This next-generation electronic drug core technology is expected to enable precise diagnosis of intractable neurological disorders and personalized treatments.”‘,
‘References’,
‘Nature Electronics(2024), DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-024-01240-x’