Electropolymerized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Coatings for Implantable Deep-Brain-Stimulating Microelectrodes.

Conducting polymers have been widely explored as coating materials for metal electrodes to improve neural signal recording and stimulation because of their mixed electronic-ionic conduction and biocompatibility. In particular, the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is one of the best candidates for biomedical applications due to its high conductivity and good electrochemical stability. Coating metal electrodes with PEDOT has shown to enhance the electrode's performance by decreasing the impedance and increasing the charge storage capacity.

What does burst suppression really mean?

This paper describes the various electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns expressed by the comatose brain, starting with the sleep-like oscillations associated with light coma. Deeper coma generally displays a burst-suppression pattern characterized by alternating episodes of isoelectric (flat) EEG and bursting slow waves. The latter are the result of cortical hyperexcitability, as demonstrated by intracellular recordings in anesthetized animals.

Human brain activity patterns beyond the isoelectric line of extreme deep coma.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) reflects brain electrical activity. A flat (isoelectric) EEG, which is usually recorded during very deep coma, is considered to be a turning point between a living brain and a deceased brain. Therefore the isoelectric EEG constitutes, together with evidence of irreversible structural brain damage, one of the criteria for the assessment of brain death.

Rapid EEG activity during sleep dominates in mild traumatic brain injury patients with acute pain.

Chronic pain is a highly prevalent post-concussion symptom occurring in a majority of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). About half of patients with mTBI report sleep-wake disturbances. It is known that pain can alter sleep quality in this population, but the interaction between pain and sleep is not fully understood.