title: Extracellular matrix proteins as temporary coating for thin-film neural implants.
abstract: This study investigates the suitability of a thin sheet of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins as a resorbable coating for temporarily reinforcing fragile or ultra-low stiffness thin-film neural implants to be placed on the brain, i.e. microelectrocorticographic (µECOG) implants.
  
  
  
  Thin-film polyimide-based electrode arrays were fabricated using lithographic methods. ECM was harvested from porcine tissue by a decellularization method and coated around the arrays. Mechanical tests and an in vivo experiment on rats were conducted, followed by a histological tissue study combined with a statistical equivalence test (confidence interval approach, 0.05 significance level) to compare the test group with an uncoated control group.
  
  
  
  After 3 months, no significant damage was found based on GFAP and NeuN staining of the relevant brain areas.
  
  
  
  The study shows that ECM sheets are a suitable temporary coating for thin µECOG neural implants.
authors.affiliation: Department of ESAT-MICAS, KULeuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ceyssens
authors.forename: Marjolijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: Neill
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kil
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Kuyck
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Welkenhuysen
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nuttin
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Badylak
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puers
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000601:surgery; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D017097:Electric Impedance; D000069280:Electrocorticography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000076227:Stereolithography; D013552:Swine; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D008567:Membranes, Artificial