Masters Applied Projects

Project 28

Assessment of Cortical Activity for Simultaneous ECog and Oxygenation Measurements

Student:
Vishvak Rangarajan

Mentors:

Dr. Vikram Kodibagkar, PhD - Arizona State University, SBHSE
Dr. Jit Muthuswamy, PhD - Arizona State University, SBHSE
Dr. Arati Sridharan, PhD - Arizona State University, SBHSE

YouTube Link:
View the video link below before joining the zoom meeting

Zoom Link:
https://asu.zoom.us/j/88214288106


Abstract
Nervous tissue is known to be extremely vulnerable to discontinuities of oxygen and energy substrates. The brain must have a constant supply of energy to prevent abnormal behavior because the vasculature of the brain is coupled to neural processing. Studying the relationship between oxygen and neural activity in the context of neurological diseases will elucidate how the metabolism of neurons affects their behavior. In this study, we hypothesized that an array can be developed to simultaneously record local field potentials (LFPs) and the partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) in the cerebral cortex. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a soft, biocompatible polymer that is permeable to O₂ and can be soaked in a siloxane to image and record the pO₂ level with 7-Tesla MRI using proton imaging of siloxanes to map tissue oxygenation levels (PISTOL). Electrocorticography (ECog) uses electrodes that are placed in the first layer of the cortex to record electrical activity. Using PISTOL and novel MRI compatible electrodes, an ECog array has been developed for simultaneous measurement of pO₂ and LFPs in the first layer of the cortex.