A Multimodal Neuroprosthetic Interface to Record, Modulate and Classify Electrophysiological Biomarkers Relevant to Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Bettina Habelt - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Christopher Wirth - , University of Sheffield (Author)
  • Dzmitry Afanasenkau - , Biotechnology Center (Author)
  • Lyudmila Mihaylova - , University of Sheffield (Author)
  • Christine Winter - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Mahnaz Arvaneh - , University of Sheffield (Author)
  • Ivan R Minev - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, University of Sheffield (Author)
  • Nadine Bernhardt - , Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)

Abstract

Most mental disorders, such as addictive diseases or schizophrenia, are characterized by impaired cognitive function and behavior control originating from disturbances within prefrontal neural networks. Their often chronic reoccurring nature and the lack of efficient therapies necessitate the development of new treatment strategies. Brain-computer interfaces, equipped with multiple sensing and stimulation abilities, offer a new toolbox whose suitability for diagnosis and therapy of mental disorders has not yet been explored. This study, therefore, aimed to develop a biocompatible and multimodal neuroprosthesis to measure and modulate prefrontal neurophysiological features of neuropsychiatric symptoms. We used a 3D-printing technology to rapidly prototype customized bioelectronic implants through robot-controlled deposition of soft silicones and a conductive platinum ink. We implanted the device epidurally above the medial prefrontal cortex of rats and obtained auditory event-related brain potentials in treatment-naïve animals, after alcohol administration and following neuromodulation through implant-driven electrical brain stimulation and cortical delivery of the anti-relapse medication naltrexone. Towards smart neuroprosthetic interfaces, we furthermore developed machine learning algorithms to autonomously classify treatment effects within the neural recordings. The neuroprosthesis successfully captured neural activity patterns reflecting intact stimulus processing and alcohol-induced neural depression. Moreover, implant-driven electrical and pharmacological stimulation enabled successful enhancement of neural activity. A machine learning approach based on stepwise linear discriminant analysis was able to deal with sparsity in the data and distinguished treatments with high accuracy. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of multimodal bioelectronic systems to monitor, modulate and identify healthy and affected brain states with potential use in a personalized and optimized therapy of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)770274
JournalFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology
Volume9
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC8595111
Scopus 85119374748
ORCID /0000-0002-3188-8431/work/142251761

Keywords