Characterization of intracortical microelectrode coatings to mitigate scarring and neurodegeneration in vivo
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Authors
Ziemba, Alexis
Issue Date
2020-05
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Biomedical engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
Pilot studies assessing the compatibility of the coatings revealed the hypothermic coating was toxic while PCPC coating was deemed suitable for future testing. The uniformity was assessed using scanning and confocal microscopy, demonstrating complete coverage of the probe. The PCPC coating was found to be approximately 300 nm thick using profilometry. Nanoindentation showed that coating was approximately two orders of magnitude softer than uncoated silicon. The coating absorbed water within 3 min and did not exhibit appreciable swelling by scanning electron microscopy. Curcumin appeared to phase separate from the coating and release into the supernatant during the first 2 weeks, at which point the degradation and dissolution rate slowed down. The PCPC polymer demonstrated significant anti-oxidant activity, and curcumin reduced cell death from H2O2. Assessing the in vivo efficacy, the PCPC coating significantly reduced the hole size in males and caused a decreasing trend in GFAP intensity in females. This study demonstrates mild efficacy of the PCPC coating in reducing damage from the electrode as well as scarring and provides a reminder of potential differences in sex responses in nervous system injury.
Description
May 2020
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY