Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biosensors and Biomolecular Electronics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1511383

Transdermal Electrophysiological Recordings of Diet-Induced Small Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy Using a Needle Electrode Array in Mice and Man

Provisionally accepted
Magdalena Blaszkiewicz Magdalena Blaszkiewicz 1Lydia Caron Lydia Caron 2*Brooke Villinski Brooke Villinski 2*Joshua Passarelli Joshua Passarelli 2*Julia M. Towne Julia M. Towne 2*Naeemah M. Story Naeemah M. Story 1*Erin Merchant Erin Merchant 2*Furrukh Khan Furrukh Khan 1Nuri Emanetoglu Nuri Emanetoglu 2*Leonard Kass Leonard Kass 2*Rosemary L. Smith Rosemary L. Smith 2*Kristy L Townsend Kristy L Townsend 1*
  • 1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
  • 2 University of Maine, Orono, Maine, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes.Proactive treatment options remain limited, which is exacerbated by a lack of sensitive and convenient diagnostics, especially early in disease progression or specifically to assess small fiber neuropathy (SFN), the loss of distal small diameter axons that innervate tissues and organs.We designed, fabricated, tested, and validated a first-of-its-kind medical diagnostic device for the functional assessment of transdermal small fiber nerve activity. This device, the Detecting Early Neuropathy (DEN), is an electrically conductive needle array designed to record nerve electrical activity in the skin and subdermal tissues, as a feature of a broader theragnostic platform.Results: DEN recordings were validated across a time course of diet-induced PN in mice, using statistical and computational analyses and compared to other SFN measures. Based on these preclinical mouse data, the device design was adapted to obtain recordings in human with a flexible printed circuit board to mold to the leg or other skin regions. The DEN successfully recorded various types of neural activity in mouse and human, with or without stimulation, including validated action potentials and electromyography signals.New functional diagnostic tools like DEN offer a promising outlook for patients needing an earlier or more sensitive diagnosis of DPN/SFN, to allow for earlier and more effective treatment options, especially as more become available in the clinic in future years.

    Keywords: Adipose Tissue, diabetes, Obesity, medical device, Needle electrodes, microneedle, Peripheral Nerves, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy

    Received: 14 Oct 2024; Accepted: 20 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Blaszkiewicz, Caron, Villinski, Passarelli, Towne, Story, Merchant, Khan, Emanetoglu, Kass, Smith and Townsend. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lydia Caron, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Brooke Villinski, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Joshua Passarelli, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Julia M. Towne, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Naeemah M. Story, The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
    Erin Merchant, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Nuri Emanetoglu, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Leonard Kass, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Rosemary L. Smith, University of Maine, Orono, 04469, Maine, United States
    Kristy L Townsend, The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.