Vascular Interfaces for Brain Imaging and Stimulation

 描述(申请人提供)：功能磁共振成像(FMRI)、脑电波和其他用于大规模人脑活动成像的完全非侵入性方法已经开创性地揭示了人类的许多大脑功能，但无法达到使用电极在动物身上进行神经代码分析的单神经元、单棘波水平。这在一定程度上是由于所采用的间接观察方法(例如，功能磁共振的血流)和由于头骨远距离的信号模糊(例如，对于EEG)。相比之下，侵入性方法，如经颅植入多电极阵列，可以实现单细胞、单棘波分辨率， 但它们需要打开头骨--对于植入的阵列来说，还需要破坏脑组织--限制了一小部分人的效用，这些人因为某种顽固性脑部疾病而接受神经外科手术，这证明风险是合理的。经颅植入的阵列还会由于胶质增生和其他大脑反应而随着时间的推移而降低I的表现，并造成感染的脆弱性。与经颅电极相比，血管通路提供了一种侵入性更小、更安全、更具可扩展性的方法，将记录设备输送到埋藏在脑实质内的神经元附近。我们在这里建议为大脑成像、刺激、电记录和分子访问创建一个血管平台，目标是至少在大血管中工作的设备，并通过血管系统为毛细血管分辨率神经访问铺平道路。具体地说，我们建议发起一项多机构、合作的努力，设计一种适用于人类的血管神经接口，用于多路神经记录和刺激，并开展初步的试点理论和实验项目，以验证由此产生的概念的基本参数。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Functional MRI (fMRI), EEG, and other completely noninvasive modalities for large-scale imaging of human brain activity have pioneeringly revealed many human brain functions, but cannot reach the single-neuron, single-spike level of neural code analysis possible in animals obtained using electrodes. This is partly due to the indirect methods of observation employed (e.g., blood flow for fMRI) and due to blurring of signals over distance by the skull (e.g., for EEG). In contrast, invasive approaches such as trans-cranially implanted multi- electrode arrays can achieve single-cell, single-spike resolution, but they necessitate opening of the skull - and, for implanted arrays, damage of the brain tissue - limiting utility to a small fraction of the population, those undergoing neurosurgery for some intractable brain disorder that justifies the risk. Trans-cranially implanted arrays also degrade i performance over time due to gliosis and other brain reactions, and create vulnerabilities to infection. Vascular access offers a less-invasive, safer and more scalable means - in comparison to trans-cranial electrodes - to deliver recording devices to the vicinity of neurons buried inside the brain parenchyma. We here propose to create a vascular platform for brain imaging, stimulation, electrical recording, and molecular access, aiming for devices that will work at least in large blood vessels, and also paving the way towards capillary-resolution neural access through vasculature. Specifically, we propose to initiate a multi-institutional, collaboratie effort to design a human-applicable vascular neural interface for multiplexed neural recording and stimulation, and to carry out preliminary pilot theoretical and experimental projects to validate the basic parameters of the resulting concepts.