CN218105901U

CN218105901U - Intracranial electrode

Info

Publication number: CN218105901U
Application number: CN202221829582.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 莫晓龙; 王东辉
Original assignee: Nuoer Medical Shenzhen Co ltd
Current assignee: Nuoer Medical Shenzhen Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-15
Filing date: 2022-07-15
Publication date: 2022-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-15

Abstract

The utility model relates to an intracranial electrode. The intracranial electrode includes: a sleeve; a plurality of spaced macroelectrodes disposed about the outer surface of the sleeve; at least one through hole is formed in at least one macro electrode, at least one microelectrode is arranged in the through hole, and the microelectrode and the macro electrode are mutually insulated. The intracranial electrode of the utility model is provided with the sleeve, which plays a protective role on the whole intracranial electrode; a plurality of macro electrodes which are not in contact with each other are arranged on the sleeve, and corresponding intracerebral electric signals can be acquired simultaneously; the macro electrode is provided with a through hole, the microelectrode is arranged in the through hole and is mutually insulated from the macro electrode, so that the microelectrode and the macro electrode are basically consistent in position, the monitoring result of the intracranial electrode is more accurately positioned, and stimulation is more accurately applied to the brain through the macro electrode.

Description

Intracranial electrode

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of stereotactic electroencephalogram, in particular to an intracranial electrode.

Background

In the process of diagnosing and treating epileptics, a stereotactic electroencephalogram technology is generally adopted, electrodes are placed in the cranium, the position of a focus is accurately positioned and the condition of the focus is analyzed by analyzing an intracerebral electric signal fed back by the electrodes, a better diagnosis and treatment scheme can be formulated by combining the intracerebral electric signal, and the treatment effect is further improved.

Generally, epileptic patients need to be treated by means of surgery, before starting treatment, preoperative evaluation is needed, and intracerebral electrical signals are one of the important factors for preoperative evaluation. The existing electrode embedded into the cranium is provided with a macro electrode which can collect part of valuable brain electrical signals. The macro electrodes and the microelectrodes are arranged on other electrodes which are placed into the brain, and the real electrophysiological activity of a specific area in the brain can be obtained by analyzing electrical signals in the brain monitored by the macro electrodes and the microelectrodes at different positions on the intracranial electrodes. Medical workers can determine the position and the range of the epileptic focus according to the intracerebral electric signals fed back by the intracranial electrodes, and then make an operation scheme for further intervening the epileptic focus.

In the current intracranial electrode product with the macro electrode and the microelectrode, the macro electrode and the microelectrode are arranged at different positions on the sleeve, so that the electrical signal of the brain monitored by the intracranial electrode cannot strictly correspond to the same special position in the brain, and subsequent electrical signal analysis and accurate stimulation treatment are not facilitated.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The technical problem to be solved by the application is to provide an intracranial electrode, wherein a microelectrode and a macroelectrode have the same position, so that the intracranial electrode can obtain an electroencephalogram signal with accurate positioning and apply accurate stimulation.

The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve the above technical problems is an intracranial electrode, comprising: a sleeve; a plurality of spaced macroelectrodes disposed about the outer surface of the sleeve; at least one through hole is formed on at least one macro-electrode, at least one micro-electrode is arranged in the through hole, and the micro-electrode and the macro-electrode are insulated from each other.

In one embodiment of the present application, the cannula includes a leading end that extends into the cranium, a distal end that is located extracranially, and an intermediate portion between the leading end and the distal end, the macro-electrode includes a ring-shaped macro-electrode or a cap-shaped macro-electrode, a plurality of ring-shaped macro-electrodes are disposed in the intermediate portion of the cannula, and one cap-shaped macro-electrode is disposed at the leading end of the cannula.

In one embodiment of the present application, adjacent macro electrodes have equal macro electrode spacing therebetween.

In one embodiment of the present application, the micro-electrode has an exposed surface exposed to the outside in the through-hole, the exposed surface being flush with the outer surface of the macro-electrode.

In one embodiment of the present application, the microelectrode is a sphere, the outer surface of the macroelectrode is a curved surface, and the exposed surface and the outer surface of the macroelectrode form an integral curved surface.

In one embodiment of the present application, the micro-electrode has an exposed surface exposed to the outside in the through-hole, the exposed surface protruding from an outer surface of the macro-electrode.

In an embodiment of the present application, the micro-electrode control unit is electrically connected to the micro-electrode, and the micro-electrode control unit is configured to control a position of the micro-electrode in the through hole.

In an embodiment of the present application, a plurality of micro-electrodes are disposed in one of the through-holes.

In an embodiment of the present application, one of the through holes is located at a central position of one of the macro electrodes in an axial direction of the sleeve.

In an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of through holes are uniformly distributed on one macro-electrode in the axial direction of the sleeve.

In an embodiment of the application, a plurality of the through holes are uniformly distributed on at least one cross-sectional circumference of one of the macro-electrodes.

In an embodiment of the present application, the central angle corresponding to the interval between two adjacent through holes on the same cross-sectional circumference is any one of 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, and 180 degrees.

In an embodiment of the present application, the surface of the macro-electrode and/or the micro-electrode has an insulating layer.

In an embodiment of the present application, the macro-electrode and the micro-electrode have an insulator therebetween.

In an embodiment of the application, one macro electrode and at least one micro electrode on the macro electrode form an electrode group, each electrode group corresponds to one conducting wire, the conducting wire is arranged in the inner cavity of the sleeve, one end of the conducting wire is connected with the electrode group, the other end of the conducting wire extends to the tail end, and the conducting wire is used for transmitting the electric signals collected by the electrode group.

In an embodiment of the present application, the conducting wires include a first conducting wire and a second conducting wire, one end of the first conducting wire is connected to the macro electrode, and the other end of the first conducting wire extends to the tail end, and the first conducting wire is used for transmitting a first electrical signal collected by the macro electrode; one end of the second lead is connected with the microelectrode, the other end of the second lead extends to the tail end, and the second lead is used for transmitting a second electric signal collected by the microelectrode.

In an embodiment of the present application, the end is provided with a connection socket, and the connection socket includes a plurality of pins, and the pins correspond to the wires one to one and are connected to each other.

In one embodiment of the present application, the lumen of the cannula includes a fixative therein that fills the lumen of the cannula to secure the guidewire.

The intracranial electrode is provided with the sleeve, so that the whole intracranial electrode is protected; the casing is provided with a plurality of macro electrodes which are not in contact with each other, and can acquire the intracerebral electric signals of corresponding positions at the same time; the macro electrode is provided with a through hole, the microelectrode is arranged in the through hole and is insulated from the macro electrode, so that the positions of the microelectrode and the macro electrode are basically consistent, the intracranial electrode can simultaneously monitor high-frequency intracerebral electric signals and low-frequency intracerebral electric signals at a specific position in the same brain, the monitoring result of the intracranial electrode is more accurately positioned, and stimulation can be more accurately applied to the brain through the macro electrode.

Drawings

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying figures are described in detail below, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an intracranial electrode, according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial structural view of an intracranial electrode according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a macro-electrode of an intracranial electrode according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view along the AA' line shown in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying the present application are described in detail below.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application, but the present application may be practiced in other ways than those described herein and thus is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

As used in this application and the appended claims, the terms "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not intended to be inclusive in the singular, but rather are intended to be inclusive in the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that steps and elements are included which are explicitly identified, that the steps and elements do not form an exclusive list, and that a method or apparatus may include other steps or elements.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the directional terms such as "front, rear, upper, lower, left, right", "lateral, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom", etc., are generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are used for convenience of description and simplicity of description only, and in the case of not making a reverse description, these directional terms do not indicate and imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore, should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present application; the terms "inner and outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the profile of the respective component itself.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to define the components, and are only used for convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components, and the terms have no special meanings unless otherwise stated, and therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is not to be construed as being limited. Further, although the terms used in the present application are selected from publicly known and used terms, some of the terms mentioned in the specification of the present application may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevant parts of the description herein. Further, it is required that the present application is understood not only by the actual terms used but also by the meaning of each term lying within.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described based on the drawings. However, the following embodiments are examples of intracranial electrodes for embodying the technical idea of the present application, and the intracranial electrodes of the present application are not specifically defined as follows. In the present specification, members shown in the columns of "claims" and "application contents" are assigned numbers corresponding to members shown in the examples in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of the claims. However, the members shown in the claims are by no means specified as members of the embodiments. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the constituent members described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present application to these, but are merely illustrative examples unless otherwise specified.

However, the dimensions, positional relationships, and the like of the members shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of description. In the following description, the same names and symbols indicate the same or similar members, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Further, each element constituting the present application may be configured such that a plurality of elements are constituted by the same member and one member shares a plurality of elements, or conversely, the function of one member may be shared by a plurality of members. Note that the contents described in some of the examples and embodiments can be applied to other examples and embodiments. In the present specification, the term "upper" is used not only to mean a case where the upper surface is in contact with the upper surface, but also to include a case where the upper surface is formed separately, and also to include a case where a layer is interposed between layers.

The intracranial electrode has the main application scene in the brain, and can be implanted into the intracerebral positions such as the bottom of the sulcus or the deep part of the brain. The intracranial electrode is mainly used for monitoring the neural activity of the brain with high resolution and applying stimulation, and medical workers can accurately detect and intervene patients with brain diseases by analyzing and researching intracerebral electric signals of specific positions acquired by the intracranial electrode. For example, the structure of an epileptic network in the brain of an epileptic patient is identified, the position and the range of an epileptic focus are further determined, and a better effective and accurate treatment scheme is formulated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an intracranial electrode, according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 2 is a schematic partial structure view of an intracranial electrode according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a macro-electrode of an intracranial electrode according to an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the intracranial electrode of this embodiment includes: a sleeve 4; a plurality of spaced macro electrodes 1 disposed on the outer surface of the sleeve 4; at least one macro-electrode 1 is provided with at least one through hole 3, at least one micro-electrode 2 is arranged in the at least one through hole 3, and the micro-electrode 2 and the macro-electrode 1 are mutually insulated. The cannula 4 serves primarily as a protective housing for an intracranial electrode, and illustratively, the cannula 4 comprises a polymeric tube, such as a thermoplastic rubber tube, a silicone tube, a polyvinyl chloride tube, or the like. The cannula 4 is typically somewhat flexible and is configured so that the intracranial electrodes are placed in the brain with less damage to the brain tissue. The sleeve 4 can also be set to have certain hardness, so that when the intracranial electrode is placed in the brain, the sleeve 4 is not easy to deform in the process that intracranial tissues extrude the intracranial electrode, and the intracranial electrode can work normally.

Referring to fig. 1, a macro-electrode 1 has a relatively large volume and surface area, and a micro-electrode 2 is relatively small. The macro-electrode 1 is adapted to function as a stimulation electrode and a monitoring electrode, and the micro-electrode 2 is adapted to function as a monitoring electrode. As a monitoring electrode, the macro electrode 1 is more suitable for collecting low-frequency electroencephalogram signals, and the microelectrode 2 is more suitable for collecting relatively high-frequency electroencephalogram signals. The macro electrode 1 is also suitable for electrically stimulating the nerve nuclei at a specific position in the brain due to the large current that can be loaded. This allows the intracranial electrode of the present application to be used for both monitoring of electrical signals in the brain and stimulation of specific locations in the brain.

As shown in fig. 1, the outer surface cover of sleeve 4 is equipped with a plurality of macro electrodes 1, and a plurality of macro electrodes 1 can monitor simultaneously, have certain interval between a plurality of macro electrodes 1 and make and do not contact each other between a plurality of macro electrodes 1, set up the intracerebral signal of different positions that can obtain a plurality of macro electrodes 1 and monitor like this to set up when making a plurality of macro electrodes 1 work simultaneously, can not exert an influence each other, can obtain accurate monitoring data of macro electrode 1.

Referring to fig. 3, the macro-electrode 1, which is fitted over the sleeve 4, is provided with a plurality of through-holes 3, which are marked with through-holes 31-36. The through hole 3 communicates with the hollow cavity 102 of the macro-electrode 1, that is, the through hole 3 penetrates the housing of the macro-electrode 1. Illustratively, for example, one through hole 3 is provided on one macro-electrode 1, and one micro-electrode 2 is provided in one through hole 3; referring to fig. 3, for example, a plurality of through holes 3 are provided on one macro-electrode 1, and a plurality of micro-electrodes 2 are provided in the respective through holes 3 in a one-to-one correspondence, i.e., in a one-to-one relationship between the through holes 3 and the micro-electrodes 2; it is also possible to arrange a plurality of microelectrodes 2 in one through-hole 3, i.e. in a one-to-many relationship between through-hole 3 and microelectrodes 2, for example.

FIG. 3 shows a state where no micro-electrode 2 is provided in the through-hole 3, and it is conceivable that one micro-electrode 2 is provided in each through-hole 3, and that a plurality of micro-electrodes 2 provided on one macro-electrode 1 can obtain more signals by the plurality of micro-electrodes 2. The macro electrode 1 has a relatively large area, for the macro electrode 1 at a specific position, more high-frequency electroencephalogram signals at the specific position can be obtained by arranging the plurality of microelectrodes 2 on the macro electrode 1, and the brain activity at the specific position can be more accurately analyzed by combining the low-frequency electroencephalogram signals obtained by the macro electrode 1. On the other hand, more high-frequency electroencephalogram signals are beneficial to reducing the influence of noise and improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

In other embodiments, through holes 3 can be formed in a plurality of macro electrodes 1, and microelectrodes 2 are correspondingly arranged in the through holes 3, so that the electrical signals in the brain can be monitored to the greatest extent; through holes 3 can be arranged on part of the macro electrodes 1 in the plurality of macro electrodes 1, namely, microelectrodes 2 are arranged on the macro electrodes 1 only part of which is provided with the through holes 3, so that the manufacturing cost of the intracranial electrodes can be reduced, and the needed intracerebral electric signals can be acquired. The application does not limit the arrangement mode of the through holes 3 and the microelectrodes 2.

Preferably, for the embodiment with 1 microelectrode 2 on 1 macroelectrode 1, a through hole 3 is arranged on one macroelectrode 1, and the through hole 3 is arranged at the center position of the macroelectrode 1 along the axial direction of the sleeve 4, i.e. the microelectrode 2 is arranged at the center position of the macroelectrode 1 along the axial direction X, as shown in fig. 1 and 2. By the arrangement, when the macro electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 monitor the intracerebral electrical signals, the intracerebral electrical signals monitored by the microelectrode 2 and the intracerebral electrical signals monitored by the macro electrode 1 can be used for representing the brain activity at the same position, and the monitoring result is accurate. For the embodiment with multiple microelectrodes 2 on 1 macroelectrode 1, the multiple microelectrodes 2 can be evenly distributed.

In some embodiments, a plurality of through holes 3 are evenly distributed on one macro-electrode 1 along the axial direction X of the sleeve 4. For example, a plurality of through-holes 3 are uniformly distributed along one or more axially extending lines on a macro-electrode 1. As shown in fig. 3, the two through

holes

32, 35 are uniformly distributed along a straight line OO 'which is parallel to the axial direction of the sleeve 4 and has a length equal to that of the macro-electrode 1 in the axial direction, and the straight line OO' is equally divided into 3 sections by the through

holes

32, 35.

In some embodiments, the plurality of through holes 3 are evenly distributed over at least one cross-sectional circumference of one macro electrode 1. In this embodiment, the interval between adjacent through holes corresponds to a central angle in the range of 0 to 180 degrees.

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view along the AA' line shown in fig. 3. In fig. 4, one micro-electrode 2 is disposed in each through-hole 3. In this embodiment, in conjunction with fig. 3 and 4, 4 through holes 3 are uniformly distributed on the circumference of the cross section with BB' as a cross section, fig. 3 showing through

holes

31, 32, 33; the other 4 through holes 3 are evenly distributed over the cross-sectional circumference with CC' as cross-section, which through

holes

34, 35, 36 are shown in fig. 3. In this embodiment, 4 microelectrodes 2 located on the same cross-sectional circumference are uniformly distributed along the cross-sectional circumference, and the interval between adjacent two through holes corresponds to a central angle of 90 degrees.

In other embodiments, the number of the plurality of micro-electrodes on the same cross-sectional circumference may also be 2, 3, 6, 12, etc., and accordingly, the interval between two adjacent through holes corresponds to a central angle of 180 degrees, 120 degrees, 60 degrees, 30 degrees, etc.

The macro electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 are arranged on the intracranial electrode simultaneously, so that high-frequency intracerebral electric signals and low-frequency intracerebral electric signals of a specific position in the same brain can be monitored simultaneously, and electric stimulation can be applied to the specific position more accurately. In practical application, the current loaded on the macro electrode 1 can be used to perform pulse electrical stimulation on nerve groups at a specific position in the brain as required, and after the pulse electrical stimulation is stopped for a period of time, the macro electrode 1 and the micro electrode 2 are continuously used to collect electrical signals in the brain. And the brain electrical signals obtained without pulse electrical stimulation and the brain electrical signals obtained after pulse electrical stimulation can be synthesized subsequently, so that the focus of a patient can be further scientifically analyzed and researched.

Illustratively, in the actual use process of the intracranial electrode, the pulsed electrical stimulation generated by the macro electrode 1 may be used to treat the epileptic focus, and a component with an electrical stimulation function may be additionally arranged on the intracranial electrode, and the epileptic focus is treated by using the separately arranged component, which is not limited in this application.

When the microelectrode 2 is arranged on the macro electrode 1, the macro electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 need to be insulated from each other, so that the condition that the macro electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 interfere with each other when working simultaneously to cause inaccurate monitoring results of the intracranial electrodes is avoided.

Illustratively, an insulating layer may be coated on the surface of the macro-electrode 1 near the micro-electrodes 2; an insulating layer may be coated on the surface of the micro-electrode 2 near the macro-electrode 1; it is also possible to apply an insulating layer on both the macro-electrode 1 and the micro-electrode 2, i.e. on the positions where the macro-electrode 1 and the micro-electrode 2 are close to each other. The coating material of the insulating layer includes sol powder paint, polyurethane paint, etc., and the application is not limited.

Illustratively, an insulator may be further provided between the macro-electrode 1 and the micro-electrode 2 so that the macro-electrode 1 and the micro-electrode 2 are not in contact with each other and are insulated from each other. The insulator may be, for example, an insulating washer, an insulating gasket, or the like. The material of the insulator may be rubber, phenolic resin, etc., and the present application is not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the cannula 4 includes a leading end 401 that extends into the cranium, a distal end 403 that is positioned extracranially, and a middle portion 402 that is positioned between the leading end 401 and the distal end 403, the macro-electrode 1 includes a ring-shaped macro-electrode 1b or a cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a, a plurality of ring-shaped macro-electrodes 1b are disposed in the middle portion 402 of the cannula 4, and one cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a is disposed at the leading end 401 of the cannula 4.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the cannula 4 includes a leading end 401 that extends into the cranium, a distal end 403 that is extracranially located, and an intermediate portion 402 located between the leading end 401 and the distal end 403. During the extension of the intracranial electrode into the cranium, the forward end 401 of the cannula 4 is the end that first extends into the cranium, after which the middle portion 402 of the cannula 4 also extends into the cranium. When the intracranial electrode has been implanted into the cranium, the tip 403 of the cannula 4 is exposed extracranially.

The macro electrode 1 may be an annular electrode, and a plurality of annular macro electrodes 1b are fitted over the outer surface of the intermediate portion 402 of the sleeve 4; the macro-electrode 1 may also be a cap-shaped electrode, the cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a is sleeved on the outer surface of the front end 401 of the cannula 4, and the front end 401 of the cannula 4 is encapsulated by the end of the cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a, i.e. the end of the cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a is the outermost end of the intracranial electrode. In some embodiments, the cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a is hemispherical.

Illustratively, a plurality of annular macro electrodes 1b and a cap-shaped macro electrode 1a are fixedly sleeved on the sleeve 4, so as to prevent the macro electrode 1 from falling off from the intracranial electrode when the intracranial electrode is subjected to an external force.

As shown in fig. 1, in some embodiments, a plurality of ring-shaped macro-electrodes 1b are all located near a portion of the leading end 401 of the intracranial electrode. According to these embodiments, the intracranial electrode is provided with a plurality of ring-shaped macro-electrodes 1b only at the front end of the cannula 4, and the macro-electrodes 1 and micro-electrodes 2 are not provided in a section between the intermediate portion 402 and the rear end 403. For example, the macro-electrode 1 and the micro-electrode 2 are provided at a part of the cannula 4 near one third of the total length of the front end 401.

In some embodiments, adjacent macro-electrodes 1 have equal macro-electrode spacing between them.

Illustratively, referring to fig. 2, a plurality of macro electrodes 1 are sheathed on a cannula 4 of an intracranial electrode. The adjacent macro electrodes 1 are equally spaced, so that the intracranial electrodes can be used for uniformly acquiring intracerebral electric signals, subsequent signal processing is facilitated, and the specific positions of the macro electrodes 1 in the brain are calculated according to the length of extending into the intracranial. In other embodiments, the plurality of macro electrodes 1 may have unequal spacing therebetween. Regardless of the spacing setting, a particular macro-electrode has known position parameters that correspond to the particular location after it is placed into the cranium, so that the investigator can correlate the monitored electrical brain signals to the particular location within the cranium.

As shown in fig. 1, the number of macro-electrodes 1 is set to 5 on one intracranial electrode, for example. The outer surface area of the individual macro-electrodes 1 may be between 1 mm and 10 mm. The annular macro-electrode 1b and the cap-shaped macro-electrode 1a both have a relatively thin thickness, and the diameter of the whole intracranial electrode when the macro-electrode 1 is sleeved on the cannula 4 can be 0.8-1.3 mm. The diameter of the through-hole 3 may be 30-50 micrometers. The surface area of the micro-electrodes 2 may be less than 4000 square micrometers.

Referring to FIG. 4, it is preferable that the micro-electrode 2 has a spherical shape. The spherical microelectrode 2 is less harmful to the intracranial tissue when the intracranial electrode is inserted into or extracted from the cranium.

Referring to fig. 4, in some embodiments, microelectrodes 2 have exposed surfaces 21 exposed outside in through-holes 3, and exposed surfaces 21 protrude from outer surface 11 of macro-electrode 1. This arrangement helps the microelectrodes 2 to sensitively pick up the corresponding intracerebral electrical signals. FIG. 4 shows, by way of example only, in FIG. 4, the exposed surface 21 of the micro-electrode 2 has an area occupying approximately 1/3 of the surface area of the micro-electrode 2. In other embodiments, the exposed surface 21 may be further reduced in area, e.g., to 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, etc. of the overall surface area of the microelectrode 2, in order to minimize the projected area of the microelectrode 2, thereby reducing damage to the brain tissue from the microelectrode 2 during insertion and removal of the intracranial electrode. The degree of the microelectrode 2 protruding from the macro-electrode 1 can be selected independently according to the actual situation, and the application is not limited.

Illustratively, the intracranial electrode of the present application further comprises a microelectrode control unit (not shown) electrically connected to the microelectrode 2, for controlling the position of the microelectrode 2 in the through hole 3, and thus the extent to which the microelectrode 2 protrudes from the outer surface of the macro-electrode 1. For example, in the process that the intracranial electrode extends into the brain, the microelectrode control unit controls the surface of the microelectrode 2 not to protrude out of the outer surface of the macro electrode 1, so that the damage to brain tissues can be reduced; when the intracranial electrode is deeply inserted into a specific position in the brain, the microelectrode control unit controls the surface of the microelectrode 2 to protrude out of the outer surface of the macroelectrode 1, so that the intracranial electrical signal at the specific position can be better acquired; before taking the intracranial electrode out of the brain, the microelectrode control unit controls the surface of the microelectrode 2 not to protrude out of the outer surface of the macro electrode 1, for example to retract into the through hole 3 or even to be recessed into the through hole 3, so that the damage to the brain tissue can be reduced.

In some embodiments, a microelectrode control unit is disposed inside the cannula 4, the microelectrode control unit being a micro device.

In other embodiments, the microelectrode control unit is disposed outside the cannula 4. By providing a control line connected to the microelectrode 2, the control line being connected to the tip 601, the protrusion height of the exposed surface 21 of the microelectrode 2 can be controlled by an external microelectrode control unit.

In some embodiments, the micro-electrodes 2 have exposed surfaces exposed outside in the through-holes 3, the exposed surfaces being flush with the outer surface of the macro-electrode 1.

In some embodiments, the microelectrode 2 is a sphere, the outer surface of the macroelectrode 1 is a curved surface, and the exposed surface and the outer surface of the macroelectrode 1 form an integral curved surface. The outer surfaces of the annular macro electrode 1b and the cap-shaped macro electrode 1a are cambered surfaces with certain radian. On the basis of disposing the micro-electrode 2 so that the exposed surface 21 is flush with the outer surface of the macro-electrode 1, the exposed surface 21 of the micro-electrode 2 and the outer surface of the macro-electrode 1 may form an integral smooth curved surface. By the arrangement, in the using process that the intracranial electrode is inserted into the brain or pulled out of the brain, the resistance can be reduced, the damage to brain tissues is reduced, and meanwhile, the microelectrode 2 and the macroelectrode 1 can effectively acquire corresponding intracerebral electric signals at the same time.

The signal transmission mode of the intracranial electrodes is not limited, and the intracerebral electric signals collected by the macro electrodes and the microelectrodes can be transmitted to external equipment in a wireless or wired mode. When the wireless mode is adopted, the intracranial electrode also comprises a wireless communication unit arranged inside the sleeve 4, one wireless communication unit can be arranged corresponding to each macro electrode 1 and at least one microelectrode 2 positioned on the macro electrode, and one wireless communication unit can also be arranged corresponding to all the macro electrodes 1 and the microelectrodes 2.

In some embodiments, a macro-electrode 1 and at least one micro-electrode 2 on the macro-electrode 1 form an electrode group, each electrode group corresponds to a lead wire, the lead wires are arranged in the inner cavity of the sleeve 4, one end of each lead wire is connected with the electrode group, the other end of each lead wire extends to the tail end 403, and the lead wires are used for transmitting electric signals collected by the electrode group.

As shown in connection with fig. 1, 2 and 4, the intracranial electrode has a plurality of leads 5 in the lumen 404 of the cannula 4. In this embodiment, one lead 5 is connected to one electrode group, meaning that one macro-electrode 1 and at least one micro-electrode 2 of the electrode group are simultaneously connected to the one lead 5, and the obtained electrical signal is a mixed signal from the macro-electrode and the micro-electrode. The desired signals can be subsequently extracted from the electrical signals by means of signal processing, such as high-frequency electrical signals obtained mainly by the microelectrodes 2, low-frequency electrical signals obtained mainly by the macroelectrodes 1, and any electrical signals of a specific frequency band and a specific characteristic. The lead 5 can be fixedly connected with the electrode group by means of laser welding.

In some embodiments, the conducting wire 5 includes a first conducting wire corresponding to the macro-electrode 1 and a second conducting wire corresponding to the micro-electrode 2, one end of the first conducting wire is connected with the macro-electrode 1, the other end of the first conducting wire extends to the terminal 403, and the first conducting wire is used for transmitting a first electric signal collected by the macro-electrode 1; one end of the second wire is connected to the microelectrode 2, and the other end of the second wire extends to the terminal 403, and the second wire is used for transmitting a second electrical signal collected by the microelectrode 2. In these embodiments, one end of the first lead is connected to the inner surface of the macro-electrode 1, and the first lead can be connected to the macro-electrode 1 by laser welding, so that the first lead is not easy to fall off. One end of the first lead is connected with the macro electrode 1, and the other end of the first lead extends to the tail end 403 of the sleeve 4, so that the first lead can continuously transmit the intracerebral electric signals collected by the macro electrode 1 to the tail end 403 of the sleeve 4, and the intracerebral signals transmitted back by the first lead can be conveniently acquired. One end of the second lead is connected to the inner surface of the spherical microelectrode 2, and the second lead can be connected with the microelectrode 2 by a laser welding method, so that the second lead is not easy to fall off. One end of the second lead is connected with the microelectrode 2, and the other end of the second lead extends to the tail end 403 of the sleeve 4, so that the second lead can continuously transmit the intracerebral electric signals collected by the microelectrode 2 to the tail end 403 of the sleeve 4, and the intracerebral signals transmitted back by the second lead can be conveniently acquired.

In some embodiments, the end 403 is provided with a connection socket 6, and the connection socket 6 comprises a plurality of pins 601, and the pins 601 are in one-to-one correspondence with the wires 5 and connected with each other. In the embodiment where the conductive line 5 includes a first conductive line and a second conductive line, the pins 601 correspond to the first conductive line and the second conductive line one to one and are connected to each other.

Referring to fig. 1, a connection socket 6 is arranged at the end 403 of the cannula 4, pins 601 on the connection socket 6 are connected with wires in a one-to-one correspondence manner, the intracerebral electrical signals collected by the macro-electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 are transmitted to an external device through the wires and the corresponding pins 601, and the external device can receive the intracerebral electrical signals transmitted by the macro-electrode 1 and the microelectrode 2 through the pins 601. In some embodiments, a communication unit is disposed in the connection socket 6, and the communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit the acquired intracerebral electrical signals to an external processing device.

In some embodiments, the conductive wire 5, the first conductive wire, and the second conductive wire are enameled wires.

Illustratively, the connection socket 6 may be integrally provided with the end 403 of the ferrule 4, i.e. the ferrule 4 wraps around the connection socket 6, or the ferrule 4 is embedded in the connection socket 6, both integrally formed; the connection hub 6 may also be removably arranged at the end 403 of the sleeve 4 to facilitate subsequent replacement of different types of connection hubs 6 as required. The application is not limiting.

In some embodiments, the lumen 404 of the cannula 4 includes an immobilizing agent therein that fills the lumen 404 of the cannula 4 to immobilize the lead 5.

Referring to fig. 4, exemplarily, after the first lead and the second lead are disposed in the inner cavity 404 of the cannula 4, a fixing agent is injected into the inner cavity 404 of the cannula 4, the fixing agent fills the inner cavity 404 of the cannula 4, gaps in the inner cavity 404 of the cannula 4 are filled, so that the first lead and the second lead are fixed, the first lead and the second lead do not shake in the cannula 4, and the situation that the cannula 4 is squeezed by an external force during the use of the intracranial electrode, and then the connection of the first lead and the second lead fails is avoided.

Referring to fig. 4, there are gaps F between the microelectrodes 2 and the through holes 3 of the macroelectrode 1, and in other embodiments, a fixing agent is filled in the gaps F to fill the gaps between the microelectrodes 2 and the macroelectrode 1 with the fixing agent, so that the fixing of the microelectrodes 2 in the through holes 3 is enhanced, and the fixing agent also serves to insulate the microelectrodes 2 from the macroelectrode 1.

In some embodiments, the fixative is an adhesive including glue.

According to the intracranial electrode, the microelectrode is arranged in the through hole on the macro electrode, so that the intracranial electrode can obtain an accurately positioned intracerebral electric signal, and accurate positioning analysis and accurate application of intervention stimulation are facilitated according to the intracerebral electric signal.

While various presently contemplated embodiments of the application have been discussed in the foregoing disclosure by way of example, it should be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the application. For example, although the system components described above may be implemented by hardware devices, they may also be implemented by software-only solutions, such as installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

Similarly, it should be noted that in the preceding description of embodiments of the application, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the embodiments. This method of disclosure, however, is not intended to imply that more features are required than are expressly recited in the claims. Indeed, the embodiments may be characterized as having less than all of the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

Where numerals describing the number of components, attributes or the like are used in some embodiments, it is to be understood that such numerals used in the description of the embodiments are modified in some instances by the modifier "about", "approximately" or "substantially". Unless otherwise indicated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicates that the number allows a variation of ± 20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameter should take into account the specified significant digits and employ a general digit-preserving approach. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the range are approximations, in the specific examples, such numerical values are set forth as precisely as possible within the scope of the application.

Although the present application has been described with reference to the present specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present application and that various equivalent changes or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the application, and therefore, it is intended that all changes and modifications to the above embodiments within the spirit of the application fall within the scope of the claims of the application.

Claims

1. An intracranial electrode comprising: a sleeve; a plurality of spaced macroelectrodes disposed about the outer surface of the sleeve; at least one through hole is formed in at least one macro-electrode, at least one micro-electrode is arranged in the through hole, and the micro-electrode and the macro-electrode are insulated from each other.

2. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein the cannula includes a leading end that extends into the cranium, a distal end that is located extracranially, and an intermediate portion that is located between the leading end and the distal end, the macro-electrode comprising a ring-shaped macro-electrode or a cap-shaped macro-electrode, a plurality of the ring-shaped macro-electrodes being disposed in the intermediate portion of the cannula, and one of the cap-shaped macro-electrodes being disposed at the leading end of the cannula.

3. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein adjacent macroelectrodes have equal macroelectrode spacing therebetween.

4. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1 wherein the microelectrode has an exposed surface exposed in the through-hole that is flush with the outer surface of the macroelectrode.

5. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 4, wherein the microelectrode is a sphere, the outer surface of the macroelectrode is a curved surface, and the exposed surface and the outer surface of the macroelectrode form a unitary curved surface.

6. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein the microelectrode has an exposed surface exposed in the through-hole, the exposed surface protruding beyond the outer surface of the macroelectrode.

7. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, further comprising a microelectrode control unit electrically connected to the microelectrodes, the microelectrode control unit for controlling the position of the microelectrodes in the through holes.

8. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of microelectrodes are disposed in one of the through-holes.

9. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the through-holes is located at a central position of one of the macro-electrodes in an axial direction of the cannula.

10. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the through-holes are uniformly distributed on one of the macro-electrodes along the axial direction of the cannula.

11. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the through-holes are uniformly distributed over at least one cross-sectional circumference of one of the macro-electrodes.

12. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 11, wherein the interval between two adjacent through-holes on the same cross-sectional circumference corresponds to any one of central angles of 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, and 180 degrees.

13. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1, wherein the surface of the macro-electrode and/or the micro-electrode has an insulating layer.

14. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 1 wherein there is an insulator between the macroelectrode and the microelectrode.

15. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 2, wherein one macro-electrode and at least one micro-electrode disposed on the one macro-electrode form an electrode group, each of the electrode groups corresponds to a lead wire, the lead wire is disposed in the lumen of the cannula, one end of the lead wire is connected to the electrode group, the other end of the lead wire extends to the distal end, and the lead wire is used for transmitting the electrical signals collected by the electrode group.

16. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 15, wherein the lead comprises a first lead and a second lead, one end of the first lead being connected to the macro-electrode, the other end of the first lead extending to the distal end, the first lead being configured to transmit a first electrical signal acquired by the macro-electrode; one end of the second lead is connected with the microelectrode, the other end of the second lead extends to the tail end, and the second lead is used for transmitting a second electric signal collected by the microelectrode.

17. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 15, wherein the tip is provided with a connection socket comprising a plurality of pins that correspond one-to-one with the leads and are connected to one another.

18. The intracranial electrode as recited in claim 15, wherein the lumen of the cannula includes an immobilizing agent therein that fills the lumen of the cannula to immobilize the lead.