KR-102962878-B1 - A penetrating type flexible nerve electrode

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cranial penetrating neuroflexible electrode, which may comprise: a front portion (100) having a needle hole (110); an electrode portion (200) comprising one or more of a circuit (210), an electrode (220), and a neuroregeneration inducing electrode (230); and a terminal portion (300) comprising a circuit connection pad (310). The neuroflexible electrode of the present invention enables stable stimulation/measurement at an accurate location for a long period of time, and enables neural signal analysis and electrical stimulation in various regions.

Inventors

• 김정훈
• 홍성준
• 김태경
• 강민희
• 윤진영
• 손영민

Assignees

• 사회복지법인 삼성생명공익재단

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241025

Claims (5)

1. A shear section (100) equipped with a needle hole (110); An electrode portion (200) comprising one or more of a circuit (210), an electrode (220), and a nerve regeneration inducing electrode (230); and A terminal portion (300) including a circuit connection pad (310) In a cranial penetrating nerve flexible electrode (10), The above nerve regeneration induction electrode (230) is a cranial penetrating nerve flexible electrode (10) that includes a nerve induction hole (231).
2. delete
3. In paragraph 1, The above electrode portion (200) comprises a first dielectric layer (insulated layer, 201), a conductive layer (conductive layer, 202) that transmits electrical signals or stimuli, and a second dielectric layer (insulated layer, 203), forming a cranial penetrating neural flexible electrode (10).
4. In paragraph 1, The circuit connection pad (310) of the terminal portion (300) is a cranial penetrating nerve flexible electrode (10) in which the first dielectric layer (201), conductive layer (202), and second dielectric layer (203) of the electrode portion are extended.
5. In paragraph 1, The above terminal portion (300) is a cranial penetrating nerve flexible electrode (10) that is located on the outside of the head without penetrating the skull and transmits external stimuli into the skull or transmits stimuli inside the skull to the outside.

Description

A penetrating type flexible nerve electrode The present invention relates to a cranial penetrating neural flexible electrode. As human life expectancy increases and the elderly population grows, the incidence of degenerative neurological diseases is also rising. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), one of the treatment methods for these diseases, is a surgical procedure used to treat neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, chronic pain, and severe depression. This technology aims to regulate neural function by stimulating specific areas of the brain using electrical signals. However, conventional deep brain stimulators can only stimulate limited locations, and the effectiveness of stimulation may decrease if the electrode position is inaccurate or changes over time. As shown in the left figure of Fig. 1, when attempting to stimulate various brain regions, two or more neural electrode tips must be inserted, and stimulation is possible only at the tips of the electrodes. With these existing deep brain stimulators, there is a high risk of unwanted side effects when stimulating the central nervous system, such as the brain and spinal cord, where areas with various functions are densely concentrated. Furthermore, there are still limitations in ex vivo stimulation for localized stimulation of desired areas within a few millimeters. In addition, implantable devices require surgical intervention, and if there is an abnormality (damage, displacement of stimulation location, etc.) in the implantable interface, secondary or tertiary re-surgery is required, which can place a high physical and economic burden on the patient. To solve these problems, the inventors have completed the present invention, which allows for the expectation of a more ideal therapeutic effect by simultaneously stimulating various parts of the brain (cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, etc.) in a novel manner that penetrates the skull with minimal damage using electrodes finely fabricated with MEMS technology. Figure 1 shows the structure of a penetrating deep stimulator compared to a conventional deep brain stimulator. Figure 2 is a figure showing the structure of the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a figure showing equipment used for installing the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the installation process of the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. Figure 6 is a figure illustrating a surrounding brain nerve area penetrated by the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. One or more embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, these embodiments are intended to illustrate one or more embodiments and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. FIG. 1 shows the structure of a penetrating deep stimulator compared to a conventional deep brain stimulator, and flowcharts showing the structure and manufacturing method of the neuroflexible electrode (10) of the present invention are shown in FIG. 2 and 3, respectively. The equipment used and the installation process related to the installation of the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention are shown in FIG. 4 and 5, respectively. Figure 6 is a figure illustrating a surrounding brain nerve area penetrated by the penetrating neuroflexible electrode of the present invention. In order to overcome the problems of conventional deep brain stimulators as shown in Fig. 1, the inventors devised a neural interface method that is inserted from one side of the head, penetrates a target area, and exits through the opposite side of the head. This method has the advantage that electrode ends implanted on both sides of the skull are fixed to limit the positional movement of the electrodes, thereby enabling stable stimulation at an accurate location for a long period of time, and allows for the placement of multiple stimulating electrodes, thereby enabling neural signal analysis and electrical stimulation in various regions through a single implantation, ranging from the outer part of the brain, the cortex, to the deep regions, the thalamus and hippocampus. The present invention is a new type of neural interface technology that penetrates the brain and implants a system circuit connected thereto, which has a narrow and long shape with a plurality of electrode arrays on a flexible substrate material (Fig. 2) and allows for the measurement/stimulation of various areas with a single insertion (Fig. 4). FIG. 2 illustrates a flexible neural electrode structure of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the structure has a planar shape with a narrow width and thickness and a long shape with a cross-sectional area minimized to penetrate the brain, an