What are Neuroprosthetics?

Neurorestorative procedure is an abbreviation of neurorepair surgery. It is an important part of a comprehensive neuroprosthetic treatment plan. It is an important treatment method to enhance the recovery of nervous system function. Based on the original neuroanatomy and function, it promotes destruction. Or damaged nerve regeneration repair and remodeling, reconstruction of neuroanatomical projection pathways and loops, regulation and improvement of neural signal transmission, and ultimately achieve neural function repair. Neural repair mainly includes micro-neural butt suture, autologous or allogeneic tissue and / or cell transplantation, implantation of biological materials related to tissue engineering, implantation of electromagnetic stimulators, local micro-release of drug (pump) implantation Into surgery and so on. According to the treatment object, it is divided into peripheral nerve repair and central nerve repair.

Nerve repair

Neurorestorative procedure is

Currently it is mainly used for clinical treatment of spinal cord injury, craniocerebral injury, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, multiple sclerosis, ataxia, dementia, Parkinson's disease and chorea.

(1) Cell transplantation treatment mechanism

Mainly used for the treatment of dyskinesias (such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia), mental disorders (such as Tourette's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression), refractory pain, epilepsy, persistent vegetative state and other diseases. sure. According to different stimulation sites, it can be divided into deep brain stimulation (DBS), cerebral cortex stimulation (CCS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and peripheral never stimulation , PNS), etc., each technology includes electrode implantation and pulse generator implantation.

Micropump implanted sustained release (DDS) is the treatment of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, refractory spasm, and cancer by implanting a drug delivery system into the spinal canal or brain. Pain and other diseases. For example, baclofen pump implantation is to slowly and continuously inject a small amount of baclofen into the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord through a drug pump, which can permanently and effectively treat severe spasticity. GDNF (glial-derived neurotrophic factor) topical therapy is currently representative of micropump sustained release in the brain. GDNF is the first biological agent in the neurotrophic factor family to transition from basic to clinical.

Biomaterials are mainly used as a guide structure for the growth of axons. They can be arbitrarily plastic according to the condition of the repaired tissue and can form living tissue with vitality. The ideal biomaterial scaffold should have the following conditions: good biocompatibility, when implanted in the body Both itself and its degradation products should have no toxic and side effects on the body, not cause the body's inflammatory response, and cause the host's transplant rejection; high porosity, and at the same time have a certain mechanical strength, which is conducive to cell implantation, sticking At the same time, it is conducive to the infiltration of cellular nutrients and the excretion of cell metabolites, and also provides a channel for regenerating axons to pass through damaged tissue; plasticity can be easily shaped into various shapes, and it can be maintained for a certain period of time after implantation in the body Shape; biodegradability, degradation rate can be adjusted according to the rate of cell regeneration in different tissues; surface chemistry and surface microstructure are conducive to maintaining cell phenotype, adhesion and proliferation, and inducing tissue regeneration.

Biomaterials that can be used for nerve repair are roughly divided into 5 categories: natural biomaterials: alginate hydrogel, type I collagen, etc .; biodegradable polymer synthetic materials: polylactic acid, polyethylene glycol, etc .; degradable materials Composite: Poly -polyhydroxybutyrate and alginate hydrogel composites; artificially synthesized non-degradable biomaterials: polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate; non-degradable material composite conduits, mainly acrylic polymers Or PNA / PVC copolymer.

According to the China Bone and Joint Research Institute: ^[1] As a kind of biological therapy, it can make up for the shortcomings of traditional cures but not the symptoms. Cells can continuously proliferate and differentiate into new neurons and glial cells, and promote the regeneration of spinal cord synapses. To restore the integrity of the spinal cord nerve function, to truly treat the disease from the lesion, so that the patient's various dysfunctions can be significantly improved, and the treatment effect is significant.