Origami-inspired brain implants hold promise for Epilepsy surgery

Editor's Note

Human trials may begin soon on patients in the UK using tiny, folding brain implants that could improve epilepsy surgery, according to an article published August 12 in The Telegraph.

Developed by scientists at Oxford and Cambridge, who published their research in the journal Nature Communications, the implants pass through a 6-mm incision before unfolding inside the brain. Tests in pigs reveal promise to reduce the need for extensive surgery, as well as better recovery times and less infection risks.

Researchers also hope the implants could improve epilepsy diagnosis accuracy by helping to pinpoint the origin of seizures in the brain. Other potential applications include benefiting people with paralysis, loss of speech or other such conditions.

According to the article, epilepsy surgery takes two forms: electrocorticography (ECoG), an invasive procedure requiring large opening in the skull to place electrodes on the brain’s surface, and stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), in which smaller probes penetrate deep into the brain. The new folding electrodes could work alongside SEEG to improve diagnosis.