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Chinese scientists develop electrode coating to address signal loss and tissue adhesion problems in long-term brain-computer interface implantation_我的网站
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Chinese researchers have developed a multifunctional electrode coating that addresses key challenges in long-term brain-computer interface (BCI) implantation, including signal loss and tissue adhesion, bringing BCI one step closer to clinical application, the Global Times learned from the research team behind the findings on Sunday.
As an emerging field combining neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI), BCI faces a major challenge of ensuring long-term compatibility between electrodes and brain tissue. Previous clinical trials showed that immune responses could cause implanted electrodes to retract after just three months, severely reducing signal quality and the number of available channels.
This problem stems from chronic inflammation triggered by implants, which creates insulating scar tissue around electrodes and separates them from neurons. Irreversible adhesion between electrodes and brain tissue after long-term implantation also makes device removal risky, potentially causing brain injury during follow-up surgeries.
Experiments showed that flexible neural electrodes coated with this material could operate stably in the brain for more than 300 days and could be safely removed without causing damage. This means the universal coating technology can make electrodes not only operate stably over the long term but can also be safely removed and replaced after aging, paving the way for long-term BCI applications.
Developed by the research team led by Zhang Wei at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, associated with Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology and NeuroXess, a high-tech life science company specializing in BCI technologies, the cationic alternating peptide electrode coating preserves electrode flexibility and conductivity, while offering antibacterial, anti-protein adsorption and immune-rejection-inhibiting functions.
A 300-day animal study showed the coating's effectiveness. Bare electrodes experienced a sharp loss of recording capability after 90 days of implantation and could barely detect neuronal signals after 300 days. In contrast, coated electrodes maintained stable recording channels and consistently captured neural signals above 155 microvolts.
In terms of neural modulation, after 300 days of implantation, conventional electrodes required a current of 100 microamps to induce weak limb responses, while coated electrodes triggered clear movements with only 2 microamps, improving modulation efficiency by 50 times.
Notably, the removal tests highlighted a key advantage of the coating that electrodes no longer form irreversible bonds with brain tissue. In the experiments, the coated electrodes were removed intact, with minimal damage to the surrounding brain tissue, Zhang told the Global Times on Sunday.
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Zhou Jiang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has a favorite book: White Deer Tableland or Bai Lu Yuan by renowned writer Chen Zhongshi.
As vice president of the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Zhou told the Global Times that a lifetime of reading has profoundly shaped the way he sees and understands the world. It ultimately led him to a career in research and academia, where he teaches and pursues scholarly work.
Since earning his PhD in economics in 2000, he has devoted himself to the study of regional science and economics, a field that demands a constant crossing of disciplinary boundaries, drawing on the fields of geography, sociology, history, and ecology among others.
"Reading has kept alive my sense of curiosity and taught me to ask questions with patience and persistence: Where do disparities in regional development come from? How do policies affect different groups in society? And how can a region pursue both efficiency and equity so that development is not merely effective, but also imbued with a greater sense of humanity and warmth?" Zhou noted.
Founded in 1991, RSAC is a national academic society dedicated to advancing domestic and international academic exchange and cooperation, providing consulting services on spatial planning, urbanization, and regional development, and offering intellectual support for China's modernization drive.
The 57-year-old researcher noted that reading has empowered him in two distinct ways.
"The first is discernment. When confronted with a complex issue, I try not to settle for a simple conclusion. Instead, I make an effort to understand its broader context, how it has unfolded, and the perspectives of the different people involved," he said.
"The second is a sense of inner steadiness. Setbacks are an inevitable part of both life and work. Good books remind us that hardship is never ours alone to bear; countless people before us have faced circumstances more difficult than our own, made difficult choices, and found the strength to carry on. Reading cannot solve every problem for us, but it can help us remain calm when challenges arise, giving us the clarity and resilience that allow us not to panic or give up too easily," he said.
Historical depth
Each time Zhou returns to the White Deer Tableland, he finds something different in its pages.
"When I first read it as a young person, I was drawn primarily to the characters and the twists and turns of their lives. Later, as I began researching regional economics, I found myself paying closer attention to the changes in the land, the countryside, families and social order presented in the story. Now, approaching 60, I have come to appreciate more deeply the choices the characters make, the constraints they face, and the quiet perseverance they show amid the sweeping currents of their times," he said.
White Deer Tableland uses Bai Lu village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a microcosm, tracing the feuds and intertwined fortunes of three generations of the Bai (literally meaning white) and Lu families. Through their stories, it captures more than half a century of sweeping historical change, from the final years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1970s and 1980s. The novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top literature awards, in 1997.
Zhou prefers literary works with historical depth and a keen eye for social change.
Regional economics may appear to be concerned with the spatial distribution of industries, population and resources, but at its heart, it is about how people live on a particular piece of land, and why some places flourish while others decline, he noted.
In this sense, literature and history are more than pastimes beyond professional research. They often help him understand the historical context, cultural traditions and social mentality that lie behind economic data, he said.
When reading novels, Zhou said that he often pays close attention to the relationship between people and the places they inhabit: How the land shapes the local character, how transportation transforms a region, and how shifts in industry reshape families and villages. Such details may not offer a direct conclusion, but they broaden a researcher's perspective. They also serve as a reminder that research should look beyond growth rates and statistical indicators to consider the sense of fulfillment experienced by ordinary people and the dignity of human beings.
Understanding ourselves
Once, while tidying his study, he came across a book filled with notes he had scribbled in his early years. Among them was a question that particularly caught his attention: "In the face of sweeping changes in the times and profound social transformation, what can a person truly determine for himself?"
Looking at those words he had written in his youth was like coming face to face with the person he had been decades ago.
Reading is not simply the act of understanding a book; it is also a record of a person's own growth, he said. The same book can reveal something entirely different when read at different stages of life.
When we are young, we turn to books in search of answers; but when we become seasoned, we read more to understand life, to understand others, and ultimately, to better understand ourselves, Zhou said.
In this era of fragmented information, AI can help people access information quickly, organize materials, and gain a basic understanding of unfamiliar fields. Yet deep reading, Zhou said, allows people to see how a conclusion is reached — what evidence supports it, where its boundaries lie, and what alternative interpretations it may invite.
What truly shapes a person, after all, is not how much information they have browsed, but the words that have made them pause and reflect - and the words that have remained with them for many years, he added.
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