Revolutionizing Neurological Treatment: Flexible Electrodes through 4D Printing Technology

2023-07-18 21:10:00

Scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and NTT Research have achieved a feat by designing flexible electrodes using 4D printing technology. These electrodes have the unique ability to automatically wrap around thin nerves when in contact with moisture.

This breakthrough might bring significant progress in the treatment of various neurological conditions and sleep disorders.

Innovation at the service of the nervous system

The the nervous system works by controlling our movements through electrical impulses. These impulses pass from one nerve cell to another, triggering, for example, a muscle contraction. Artificial stimulation of nerve cells is already used to treat conditions such as chronic pain or sleep apnea, but stimulation of thinner nerves, with diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers, is trickier. This is where 4D printing technology comes in.

4D printed electrode. In contact with moisture, they bend automatically and can wrap around fine nerves. Video: Lukas Hiendlmeier / TUM

4D printing: an adaptive solution

L’impression 4D allows to shape 3D printed objects in a targeted way, for example by using humidity or heat. The researchers used this technology to develop electrodes that wrap themselves around ultra-thin nerve fibers when inserted into moist tissue. This property is made possible by the use of a biocompatible hydrogel, which swells on contact with humidity, inside the electrode.

The titanium-gold coating inside the electrodes helps transmit electrical signals between the electrodes and the nerve fibers.Doctoral student Lukas Hiendlmeier is working on self-folding electrodes. Andreas Heddergott / TUM

Potential of this innovation

4D printing technology offers application possibilities considerable for the future. For example, it might improve implants for sleep apnea. In patients with this condition, the tongue falls backward during sleep, briefly obstructing the airway.

Stimulating the muscles that pull the tongue forward can correct this problem. The new electrodes might facilitate nerve stimulation more selectively.For conductive structures, a thin layer of gold is deposited on the 3D printed structure under high vacuum. Andreas Heddergott / TUM

Synthetic

The development of these self-rolling electrodes, robust and easy to handle, is a milestone in the field of peripheral nerve stimulation. Although still in an early stage of development, they might offer an important way to expand the clinical application of this technology in the future.

For a better understanding

What is 4D printing? It is a technology that allows 3D printed objects to be reshaped in a targeted way, often using humidity or heat.

How can these electrodes help patients with sleep apnea? These electrodes might selectively stimulate the muscles that pull the tongue forward, thus preventing the tongue from falling backwards and obstructing the airways.

What other areas might benefit from this technology? The electrodes might be used to stimulate nerves more precisely in various neurological conditions.

Lukas Hiendlmeier, Francisco Zurita, Jonas Vogel, Fulvia Del Duca, George Al Boustani, Hu Peng, Inola Kopic, Marta Nikić, Tetsuhiko F. Teshima, Bernhard Wolfrum : 4D-Printed Soft and Stretchable Self-Folding Cuff Electrodes for Small-Nerve Interfacing, Advanced Materials (2023), DOI : doi.org/10.1002/adma.202210206

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