Evaluation of chronically implanted subdural boron doped diamond/CNT recording electrodes in miniature swine brain

When implantable recording devices for brain or neural electrical activity are designed, the number of available materials for electrodes is quite limited. The material must be biocompatible with respect to ISO10993, its electrochemical properties must remain stable and the response of cells or tissues can be mitigated, especially on the glial scar. This involves electrode characterization pre- implantation and impedance spectroscopy during chronic implantation, in order to evaluate both electrode properties and performance. This study was aimed at a comparison of the long-term behavior of a nanostructured boron-doped diamond (BDD) with a nanostructured Platinum Iridium (PtIr) electrode. Firstly, a batch of cortical grids with bare and modified contacts (2 mm in diameter) was engineered for implantation. Secondly a miniature swine model was developed. This study highlighted the predominant role of electrode surface roughness on the quality of recordings. Rough PtIr contacts and BDD coated ones showed comparable behavior after three-month implantation with a slight increase of the modulus of the impedance and a tissue capsule. Nevertheless, immunohistochemistry analysis did not exhibit either a toxic or irritation reaction. With regard to biocompatibility, promising long term results are shown for both materials.