Vascular remodeling in sheep implanted with endovascular neural interface.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Endovascular neural interfaces (ENIs) offer potential for brain-computer interfaces.
• Understanding the biological response to ENI implantation is crucial for clinical translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess vascular remodeling in the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) after ENI placement in a sheep model.
• To evaluate the efficacy of neural recording using an implanted ENI.

Main Methods:

• Histological analysis of tissue response to the ENI.
• Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) for vascular lumen assessment.
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of blood flow.
• In vivo neural recording of brain activity in sheep.

Main Results:

• Histology revealed extracellular matrix accumulation and a foreign body response with macrophages and giant cells.
• New vascular channels formed within the implant site.
• Micro-CT showed SSS lumen narrowing proportional to ENI material, but no occlusion.
• The ENI successfully recorded epileptiform brain activity.

Conclusions:

• ENI implantation induces a foreign body response and vascular remodeling in the SSS.
• The ENI demonstrated efficacy in recording neural signals.
• Findings guide future ENI design and surgical planning, emphasizing stent sizing to minimize adverse vascular remodeling.