ETH researchers measure brain activity with tentacle electrodes

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), led by neurotechnology professor Mehmet Fatih Yanik, have developed ultra-fine and ultra-flexible brain probes. According to a press release, these allow brain activity and individual brain cells to be measured accurately and at the same time in a way that is gentle on the tissue. People with Parkinson's disease or with pathological muscle spasms, for example, benefit from such brain probes. The electrodes developed by Professor Yanik can also be used to record the activity of brain cells and thus investigate abnormalities.

The ETH team's novel electrodes consist of bundles of extremely fine and flexible fibers made of gold that are coated with a polymer. The tentacle electrodes have so far been tested on rats. Now the ETH researchers have teamed up with colleagues from University College London to test the use of the new electrodes for diagnostic purposes in the human brain. Specifically, they are looking at epilepsy sufferers who do not respond to drug therapy.

In future, the researchers also want to use the new electrodes to stimulate brain cells in humans. "This could contribute to the development of effective therapies for people with neurological and psychiatric diseases," Yanik is quoted as saying. It is estimated that 200,000 people worldwide already wear brain pacemakers or electrodes in the brain that supply certain areas of the brain with electrical impulses. ce/gba