Ultraconformable cuff implants for long-term bidirectional interfacing of peripheral nerves at sub-nerve resolutions

Abstract

Implantable devices interfacing with peripheral nerves exhibit limited longevity and resolution. Poor nerve-electrode interface quality, invasive surgical placement and development of foreign body reaction combine to limit research and clinical application of these devices. Here, we develop cuff implants with an ultraconformable design that achieve high-quality and stable interfacing with nerves in chronic implantation scenarios. When implanted in sensorimotor nerves of the arm in awake rats for 21 days, the devices recorded nerve action potentials with fascicle-specific resolution and extracted from these the conduction velocity and direction of propagation. The ultraconformable cuffs exhibited high biocompatibility, producing lower levels of fibrotic scarring than clinically equivalent PDMS silicone cuffs. In addition to recording nerve activity, the devices were able to modulate nerve activity at sub-nerve resolution to produce a wide range of paw movements. The developed implantable devices represent a platform enabling new forms of fine nerve signal sensing and modulation, with applications in physiology research and closed-loop therapeutics.