Biophysical mechanisms responsible for ultrasound neuromodulation in bilayer lipid membranes

Abstract

Medical technology has seen great progress over the last centuries, developing increasingly more specialised therapy to benefit human health. The rise of the pharmaceutical industry and the research it drives are contributors to this success. However, in humanity's attempt to tackle more and more complex health issues, the conventional methods used require adaptation. This is also true in the case of neurological disorders and diseases, which stem from the body's nervous system. While the nervous system possesses high responsiveness to chemical devices, these same devices can often not target specific locations at the required time. Therefore, solely depending on chemical delivery stagnates progress in overcoming the ailments' negative effects on both health and quality of life. It is here that an argument is made for therapeutic delivery through another modality. Manufacturing such technology creates complex engineering challenges and demands close cooperation between engineers and clinicians.

In this thesis, fundamental research is done to aid the investigation of efficient acoustic delivery with focused ultrasound. It is part of an ongoing effort to make therapy for neurological disorders and diseases less invasive and more effective. The modality of ultrasonic waves promises great potential in this respect, being able to image and modulate neural activity.

The work presented here shows the development of a research platform to effectively study the biophysical mechanisms that are responsible for ultrasonic neuromodulation. Using microfabrication techniques and 3D printing the basic elements of the platform could be manufactured. During electrodeposition, silver layers were grown to construct the Ag/AgCl electrode and insight was gained into the process. Electrophysiological measurements show the platform's capability to measure bilayer lipid membranes, which were manually prepared and suspended.