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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Preparation of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Electrodes for Chronic Implantation in Rats
Published on: July 14, 2020
Focal stimulation of the sheep motor cortex with a chronically implanted minimally invasive electrode array mounted
Nicholas L Opie1,2,3, Sam E John4,5,6, Gil S Rind4,5,7
1Vascular Bionics Laboratory, Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Nicholas.opie@unimelb.edu.au.
Abstract:
Direct electrical stimulation of the brain can alleviate symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, depression, epilepsy and other neurological disorders. However, access to the brain requires invasive procedures, such as the removal of a portion of the skull or the drilling of a burr hole. Also, electrode implantation into tissue can cause inflammatory tissue responses and brain trauma, and lead to device failure. Here, we report the development and application of a chronically implanted platinum electrode array mounted on a nitinol endovascular stent for the localized stimulation of cortical tissue from within a blood vessel. Following percutaneous angiographic implantation of the device in sheep, we observed stimulation-induced responses of the facial muscles and limbs of the animals, similar to those evoked by electrodes implanted via invasive surgery. Proximity of the electrode to the motor cortex, yet not its orientation, was integral to achieving reliable responses from discrete neuronal populations. The minimally invasive endovascular surgical approach offered by the stent-mounted electrode array might enable safe and efficacious stimulation of focal regions in the brain.
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