A parylene cuff electrode for peripheral nerve recording and drug delivery

Abstract

We present a novel polymer-based cuff electrode designed for peripheral nerve recording and drug delivery. The micromachined cuff interface consists of platinum electrodes embedded within Parylene microfluidics. An adjustable locking mechanism ensures close-fitting of the cuff around the nerve for localized drug delivery to induce axonal sprouting from the fascicles towards the embedded electrodes. This Lyse-and-Attract Cuff Electrode (LACE) specifically incorporates drug delivery to improve sensitivity, spatial resolution, fascicle selectivity, and chronic reliability over existing electrode-only interfaces. We present the design, fabrication, and initial testing of fully functional cuffs including evaluation of the locking mechanism, localized drug delivery, and electrochemical properties of recording electrodes.