Minimally invasive blood‑vessel brain sensors for recording and stimulating brain activity
Minimally Invasive Endovascular Neural Interfaces for Brain Recording and Modulation
A team is developing tiny, flexible brain sensors that can be threaded through blood vessels to record and stimulate brain activity for people with Alzheimer's, acquired brain injury, and other neurological disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11417297 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project aims to create tiny stretchable probes that doctors could deliver through blood vessels to reach the brain without open‑skull surgery. The researchers will refine how to place the probes into different small brain vessels and test their ability to record single‑cell signals and deliver stimulation. Early work uses anesthetized rats to check placement, signal quality, and safety, followed by long‑term tests in awake, behaving rats to demonstrate chronic stability. The platform is intended to be adaptable for diagnosing and treating chronic neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease and acquired brain injury.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal future candidates would be people with drug‑resistant neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or severe acquired brain injury who need brain recording or stimulation but prefer less invasive options.
Not a fit: Patients who are healthy, who have conditions not treatable with brain stimulation, or who cannot undergo endovascular procedures would likely not benefit from this work in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer safer, less‑invasive ways to record and stimulate the brain, potentially helping people with drug‑resistant neurological diseases avoid open‑skull surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Previous feasibility studies have shown flexible probes can be delivered into tiny cortical vessels and record acute signals in rats, but chronic endovascular recording and stimulation in awake animals and humans remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Pasadena, United States
- California Institute of Technology — Pasadena, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Anqi — California Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Anqi
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.