Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo
Abstract Creating durable, motion-compliant neural interfaces is crucial for accessing dynamic tissues under in vivo conditions and linking neural activity with behaviors. Utilizing the self-alignment of nano-fillers in a polymeric matrix under repetitive tension, here, we introduce conductive carbo...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56450-4 |
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| author | Sizhe Huang Ruobai Xiao Shaoting Lin Zuer Wu Chen Lin Geunho Jang Eunji Hong Shovit Gupta Fake Lu Bo Chen Xinyue Liu Atharva Sahasrabudhe Zicong Zhang Zhigang He Alfred J. Crosby Kaushal Sumaria Tingyi Liu Qianbin Wang Siyuan Rao |
| author_facet | Sizhe Huang Ruobai Xiao Shaoting Lin Zuer Wu Chen Lin Geunho Jang Eunji Hong Shovit Gupta Fake Lu Bo Chen Xinyue Liu Atharva Sahasrabudhe Zicong Zhang Zhigang He Alfred J. Crosby Kaushal Sumaria Tingyi Liu Qianbin Wang Siyuan Rao |
| author_sort | Sizhe Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Creating durable, motion-compliant neural interfaces is crucial for accessing dynamic tissues under in vivo conditions and linking neural activity with behaviors. Utilizing the self-alignment of nano-fillers in a polymeric matrix under repetitive tension, here, we introduce conductive carbon nanotubes with high aspect ratios into semi-crystalline polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels, and create electrically anisotropic percolation pathways through cyclic stretching. The resulting anisotropic hydrogel fibers (diameter of 187 ± 13 µm) exhibit fatigue resistance (up to 20,000 cycles at 20% strain) with a stretchability of 64.5 ± 7.9% and low electrochemical impedance (33.20 ± 9.27 kΩ @ 1 kHz in 1 cm length). We observe the reconstructed nanofillers’ axial alignment and a corresponding anisotropic impedance decrease along the direction of cyclic stretching. We fabricate fiber-shaped hydrogels into bioelectronic devices and implant them into wild-type and transgenic Thy1::ChR2-EYFP mice to record electromyographic signals from muscles in anesthetized and freely moving conditions. These hydrogel fibers effectively enable the simultaneous recording of electrical signals from ventral spinal cord neurons and the tibialis anterior muscles during optogenetic stimulation. Importantly, the devices maintain functionality in intraspinal electrophysiology recordings over eight months after implantation, demonstrating their durability and potential for long-term monitoring in neurophysiological studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-024af61cadfb4e31b1a58dd376f89a40 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-024af61cadfb4e31b1a58dd376f89a402025-02-02T12:31:29ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111510.1038/s41467-025-56450-4Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivoSizhe Huang0Ruobai Xiao1Shaoting Lin2Zuer Wu3Chen Lin4Geunho Jang5Eunji Hong6Shovit Gupta7Fake Lu8Bo Chen9Xinyue Liu10Atharva Sahasrabudhe11Zicong Zhang12Zhigang He13Alfred J. Crosby14Kaushal Sumaria15Tingyi Liu16Qianbin Wang17Siyuan Rao18Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State UniversityDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical BranchDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State UniversityResearch Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyF.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s HospitalF.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s HospitalDepartment of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of MassachusettsDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of MassachusettsDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of MassachusettsDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at BinghamtonAbstract Creating durable, motion-compliant neural interfaces is crucial for accessing dynamic tissues under in vivo conditions and linking neural activity with behaviors. Utilizing the self-alignment of nano-fillers in a polymeric matrix under repetitive tension, here, we introduce conductive carbon nanotubes with high aspect ratios into semi-crystalline polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels, and create electrically anisotropic percolation pathways through cyclic stretching. The resulting anisotropic hydrogel fibers (diameter of 187 ± 13 µm) exhibit fatigue resistance (up to 20,000 cycles at 20% strain) with a stretchability of 64.5 ± 7.9% and low electrochemical impedance (33.20 ± 9.27 kΩ @ 1 kHz in 1 cm length). We observe the reconstructed nanofillers’ axial alignment and a corresponding anisotropic impedance decrease along the direction of cyclic stretching. We fabricate fiber-shaped hydrogels into bioelectronic devices and implant them into wild-type and transgenic Thy1::ChR2-EYFP mice to record electromyographic signals from muscles in anesthetized and freely moving conditions. These hydrogel fibers effectively enable the simultaneous recording of electrical signals from ventral spinal cord neurons and the tibialis anterior muscles during optogenetic stimulation. Importantly, the devices maintain functionality in intraspinal electrophysiology recordings over eight months after implantation, demonstrating their durability and potential for long-term monitoring in neurophysiological studies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56450-4 |
| spellingShingle | Sizhe Huang Ruobai Xiao Shaoting Lin Zuer Wu Chen Lin Geunho Jang Eunji Hong Shovit Gupta Fake Lu Bo Chen Xinyue Liu Atharva Sahasrabudhe Zicong Zhang Zhigang He Alfred J. Crosby Kaushal Sumaria Tingyi Liu Qianbin Wang Siyuan Rao Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo Nature Communications |
| title | Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| title_full | Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| title_fullStr | Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| title_short | Anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| title_sort | anisotropic hydrogel microelectrodes for intraspinal neural recordings in vivo |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56450-4 |
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