Histopathological evaluation of materials implanted in the cerebral cortex
- 1 January 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Acta Neuropathologica
- Vol. 41 (2), 145-155
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00689766
Abstract
Histopathological changes of the cerebral cortex in response to small, penetrating metal and non-metal implants were analyzed by means of light and electron microscopy. The needle-shaped implants were left in place during all stages of histological preparation and embedded in plastic together with the cortex. Changes of the brain-implant boundary were classified as non-reactive, reactive, or toxic, according to the reactive cellular constituents. Among the non-reactive materials were several plastics and metals such as aluminum, gold, platinum, and tungsten. The boundary of these implants displayed little or no gliosis and normal neuropile with synapses within 5 μm of the implant's surface. The boundary of reactive materials such as tantalum or silicon dioxide was marked by multinucleate giant cells and a thin layer (10 μm) of connective tissue. Toxic materials such as iron and copper were separated from the cortical neuropile by a capsule of cellular connective tissue and a zone of astrocytosis. Cobalt, a highly toxic material, produced more extensive changes in the zones of connective tissue and astrocytes. These results indicate that a variety of materials are well tolerated by the brain and could be used in the fabrication of neuroprosthetic devices.Keywords
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