title: Tongue implant for assistive technologies: Test of migration, tissue reactivity and impact on tongue function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Tongue Drive System (TDS) is a new wearable assistive technology (AT), developed to translate voluntary tongue movements to user-defined computer commands by tracking the position of a titanium-encased magnetic tracer (Ti-Mag) implanted into the tongue. TDS application, however, is constrained by limited information on biological consequence and safety of device implantation into the tongue body. Here we implant a stainless-steel pellet in the rat tongue and assay pellet migration, tongue lick function, and tongue histology to test the safety and biocompatibility of unanchored tongue implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Water consumption, weight and lick behavior were measured before and for >24days after implantation of a stainless-steel spherical pellet (0.5mm) into the anterior tongue body of twelve adult male rats. X-rays were obtained weekly to assess pellet migration. Pellet location and tissue reaction to implantation were determined by post-mortem dissection and histology of the anterior tongue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By dissection pellets were distributed across the transverse plane of the tongue. Measures of water consumption, weight, and lick behavior were unchanged by implantation except for a decrease in consumption immediately post-implantation in some animals. By X-ray, there was no migration of the implant, a finding supported by pellet encapsulation demonstrated histologically. Measures of lick behavior were minimally impacted by implantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A smooth spherical stainless-steel implant in the anterior tongue of the rat does not migrate, is encapsulated and does not substantially impact lick behavior. These findings support the implantation of small tracers in the anterior tongue in humans for operating wearable assistive technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St., Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Sylive
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mimche
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 85 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, United States.
authors.forename: Dukju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 85 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, United States.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiani
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 85 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, United States.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 85 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, United States.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Kirk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Easley
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St., Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sokoloff
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 85 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308, United States. Electronic address: mgh@gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Maysam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghovanloo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D014059:Tongue / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Implant; Magnet; Spinal cord injury; Tongue; Tongue Drive System