Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Recovery from stroke is complex and ultimately limited by the brains limited ability to regenerate damaged tissue. Ideally, we would want to drive neurogenesis and angiogenesis in a stroke lesion to aid in recovery. We propose a multimodality platform for stimulating neurogenesis which simultaneously allows for electrophysiological recording of neurons in the lesion area after stroke. Our aim is to provide a paradigm for making complex substrates for nervous tissue. With various devices integrated, multiple functions can be realized on a single neural interface device. Conductive wires and optical fibers can implement the electrophysiological and optogenetic applications. Microfluidics could not only supply nutrition and oxygen to the lesion area but also realize the chemical stimulation. With the potential of fusion with brain tissue, our device could also work as an intracortical brain-machine interface for neuroprosthetic control and neurological stimulation.
Project currently funded by: Industry Sponsor