The Effects of Strain on Cortical Tissues
- Sharon Norman
Silicon microelectrodes are a promising technology for prosthetics applications, but long-term recording has proven to be a challenge. Silicon is much stiffer than brain tissue, and a silicon electrode likely strains the surrounding cortical cells. It is not clear how this strain affects inflammation or glial scar formation, but such mechanical mismatch may influence the biological response to implanted electrodes.
Sharon investigates the effects of strain on cortical cells in vitro to determine how strain influences inflammation and scar formation. She is working on a computer model of cortical strain that estimates the severity of strain experienced by tissue surrounding chronically implanted electrodes.