Bingdong Chang
Chronically Implanted Neuroprosthetic Devices for High-Resolution Magnetic Deep Brain Stimulation
Bingdon Chang, DTU Contruct at the Technical University of Copenhagen, has received a Lundbeck Foundation Postdoc grant worth DKK 2,397,578.
About the project
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective technique to treat and mitigate psychological and psychiatric disorders, at the same time, it is also a powerful tool to investigate the mechanism of neuronal activities for fundamental studies. The most widely used DBS technique include electric stimulation and optogenetics, where a large population of neurons are stimulated simultaneously by electric current or light. Besides, the prosthetic device is normally mechanically stiff, which can cause severe bleeding during and after the penetration of the implant.
In this study, a novel DBS strategy will be investigated based on high-resolution magnetic stimulation, which theoretically should give a much smaller activation area by applying a tiny magnetic field to the neurons. The high stimulation resolution will not only benefit fundamental research (e.g., crosstalk between individual neurons), but will also bring positive impact on accurate treatment of neurological diseases with minimum unwanted effects. Moreover, the proposed DBS device will be integrated on a fluoropolymer-based substrate, which is flexible and biocompatible. Chronically implanted device can therefore be possible, not just for live animal tests, but also for long-term treatment of neurological disorders on human beings.
Both from a scientific and technological perspective, this project has novelty. As deeper understandings of neuronal activities and more advanced treatment methods will be expected from this research.
