Scientists develop sensor-embedded plastic wrap for brain surgery
US researchers have developed a sensor-embedded plastic wrap that allows for safer and more accurate brain surgery. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego and Massachusetts General Hospital have created a new brain mapping tool, which is based on a conductive polymer rather than the usual metal electrodes. The device is about a thousand times thinner than existing clinical tools and also has a far higher electrode density, meaning the device can sit closer to the brain and provide better readings.
It almost goes without saying that brain surgery requires extreme precision, but there hasn't been much advancement in brain mapping techniques for the past two decades. What good is a breakthrough procedure if you're still using bulky, imprecise 1990s-era technology as a guide? Researchers may have a better way: they've developed an electrode grid-based brain mapping tool that's both much easier to wield and far more precise. Instead of relying on the usual metal electrodes, they switched to a conductive polymer that's so tiny and thin it makes Saran Wrap look ungainly. That, in turn, let them stuff 25 times more electrodes into the same space while slimming their tool down to just 0.0002 inches thick instead of a few tenths of an inch.

The result is a brain mapping device that fits much more closely to the brain (giving it better readings) and delivers higher resolution in the process. Real-world tests bear that out. While a regular device and the experimental model could both spot brain areas triggering epileptic seizures, the new device could capture more detail.

There's a lot of work to be done: the scientists want to build higher-density electrode grids and verify that this device can stay in your body for a long time without creating issues. It could be years before surgeons get their hands on a finished product. If and when they do, though, the technology could make brain surgery considerably safer. Doctors would be less likely to damage or remove healthy parts of your brain, and they could cut more aggressively than they might otherwise.