Regenerative Electrode Interfaces for Neural Prostheses.

Neural prostheses are electrode arrays implanted in the nervous system that record or stimulate electrical activity in neurons. Rapid growth in the use of neural prostheses in research and clinical applications has occurred in recent years, but instability and poor patency in the tissue-electrode interface undermines the longevity and performance of these devices. The application of tissue engineering strategies to the device interface is a promising approach to improve connectivity and communication between implanted electrodes and local neurons, and several research groups have developed new and innovative modifications to neural prostheses with the goal of seamless device-tissue integration.