by Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in studying the brain activity of diabetic mice using low-invasive neural recording technology. By utilizing a tiny needle-electrode with a diameter of 4 µm, the research team was able to effectively record neuronal activity in the brains of diabetic mice without causing significant tissue injury. This breakthrough provides new opportunities for studying the neurological effects and complications associated with diabetes.
However, the use of the miniaturized needle-electrode has proven to be highly advantageous in minimizing tissue damage and enabling stable recording for an extended period.
The research team involved in this breakthrough includes experts from the Institute for Research on Next-generation Semiconductor and Sensing Science at the Toyohashi University of Technology, National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College, and TechnoPro R&D Company. Their findings have been published in the renowned journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
Diabetes is a complex condition that can lead to various complications, including cerebrovascular disease, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease due to its impact on neuronal reduction. To study brain diseases effectively, it is crucial to be able to quantitatively analyze neuronal activities using microelectrodes. However, recording from diabetic brains poses additional challenges due to the complications associated with electrode penetration. The successful development of a low-invasive recording technology addresses this specific challenge.
The research team achieved their goal of recording neuronal activities in a mouse model of diabetes by utilizing a microelectrode with a tip diameter of 4 µm. This technique not only minimized tissue responses but also demonstrated the potential for its application in damaged brain tissues associated with other diseases, not just diabetes.
Master student Rioki Sanda and Ph.D. Koji Yamashita, who served as the first authors of the article, stated that their electrode recording technique holds promise for a wide range of damaged brain tissues beyond diabetes. Their findings suggest that this technology can be further applied in various disease models, advancing drug discovery studies and our understanding of neurological disorders.
The team was motivated to undertake this project due to the complexity of diabetes, which often leads to vascular disorders. These disorders can result in severe complications such as gangrene, requiring limb amputation. Brain-machine interface (BMI) technology has the potential to assist patients who have lost limbs by allowing them to control artificial limbs using brain signals. However, conventional electrode penetration into diabetic brain tissues can cause significant damage, making the application of BMI technology in these patients riskier compared to others. Recognizing this crucial need, the research team embarked on developing a low-invasive recording technique specifically for individuals with diabetes-related vascular disorders.
The researchers are confident that their recording technology, proven successful in diabetic mice, can be further expanded for broader applications. They hope to utilize diverse model mice with various diseases to study drug discovery and potentially apply their technique to develop next-generation BMIs that are more effective and applicable to a wider range of brain-related conditions. The team aims to extend their research to other animal models, including rats and monkeys, to accelerate the advancements in brain-machine interface technology.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
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