Deep brain stimulation based on the wireless magnetically localised and ultrasonically actuated micro-robot

The application of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a significant neurosurgical breakthrough that allows targeted circuited-based neuromodulation, which can directly measure pathological brain activity and deliver adjustable stimulation for the management of neurological and psychiatric disorders correlated with dysfunctional circuitry.

Traditional DBS systems, as the standard of care in Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia, are developed based on the cardiac field, including an intracranial electrode, an extension wire and a pulse generator, with advances in engineering and imaging technologies in the past two decades.

However, these devices are typically centimetre-scale, which increases the risk of haemorrhage, infection and damage during the treatments. Instead, the small and remotely powered systems may result in less invasive neuromodulation.

Therefore, the proposed research aims to develop a novel micro-robot that can implement deep brain stimulation by using the piezoelectric effect induced by ultrasound stimulation in the cerebral spinal fluid.

The proposed biocompatible robot can achieve less invasive neuromodulation and precise positioning by using the wireless external magnetic field.