An electrode protection device

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrode protection device, comprising a main body, a first cover plate, and a second cover plate. The main body has a cavity, and the bottom of the main body has a fence-type fixing member. The main body is provided with a first connecting member, the first cover plate is provided with an insertion port and a second connecting member, and the second cover plate is provided with a third connecting member. The second connecting member is plug-connected to the first connecting member, and the third connecting member is plug-connected to the first connecting member. Compared with the prior art, the present invention can solve the problems of electrodes being bitten by experimental animals and contaminated by dust during experiments, can reduce the weight of the electrode protection device and improve the convenience of the protection device, and can also increase the observation field of view when implanting the electrode, which is conducive to observing the entry posture of the electrode, and is conducive to the fixation of the protection device and the mouse head, so that the protection device can be more stably fixed to the mouse's head, and can prevent the protection device from shaking and causing the electrode to deviate or move in the mouse's brain, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the experimental data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of body electrophysiological recording, and in particular to an electrode protection device. Background Art

[0002] In vivo multi-channel electrophysiological recording techniques typically require surgical implantation of microwire or silicon-based electrodes into the target brain region of experimental animals, followed by a predetermined experimental paradigm and simultaneous recording of EEG signals and behavioral videos. After implanting traditional step-able microwire electrodes into the animal's brain, the electrode holes typically need to be sealed with a protective agent (a 1:1 mixture of paraffin and liquid paraffin or medical-grade vaseline) to prevent the influx of dental cement. This method is very cumbersome and makes it difficult to obtain accurate experimental data.

[0003] In the prior art, there are products that integrate electrodes and protective devices, but such products have defects, such as:

[0004] The integrated device in the prior art usually requires the installation of recording electrodes inside the protective device, so a large number of support structures need to be installed to bear the weight of the electrodes. Since the electrodes require a stable structure, the electrodes and the protective device are rigidly connected. However, the mouse skull is uneven, and the bottom of the protective device needs to be bonded to the mouse head. Therefore, the shaking of the protective cover will cause the microwire electrode to deviate or move in the mouse brain, affecting the experimental data. Moreover, the bottom of the current protective cover is mostly a circular closed device, which seriously affects the field of view of the electrode under the microscope when entering the brain area, and is very unfavorable for observing the entry posture of the microwire electrode. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an electrode protection device, the specific technical solution is as follows:

[0006] An electrode protection device, comprising:

[0007] A main body, a first cover plate and a second cover plate, wherein the main body has a cavity for mounting a recording electrode, and the bottom of the main body has a fence-type fixing member for fixing to the part to be detected;

[0008] The main body is provided with a first connecting piece, the first cover is provided with an insertion port and a second connecting piece, the insertion port is used to insert the headstage interface, and the second cover is provided with a third connecting piece;

[0009] The second connector is plug-connected to the first connector and is used to fix the first cover plate on the top of the main body. The third connector is plug-connected to the first connector and is used to fix the second cover plate on the top of the main body.

[0010] In a specific embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the fence-type fixing member includes a circle.

[0011] In a specific embodiment, the fence-type fixing member includes at least two fixing feet, and each of the fixing feet is arranged at intervals.

[0012] In a specific embodiment, the first connecting member includes a first groove and a second groove, the second connecting member includes a first protrusion, and the third connecting member includes a second protrusion;

[0013] The first protrusion is inserted and matched with the first groove for fixing the first cover plate on the top of the main body, and the second protrusion is inserted and matched with the second groove for fixing the second cover plate on the top of the main body.

[0014] In a specific embodiment, the first protrusion includes a hollow structure;

[0015] The second protrusion includes a hollow structure.

[0016] In a specific embodiment, both the first groove and the second groove are semi-cylindrical groove bodies;

[0017] The first protrusion includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the first groove, and the second protrusion includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the second groove.

[0018] In a specific embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first cover plate includes a semi-circle, the cross-sectional shape of the second cover plate includes a semi-circle, and the cross-sectional shape of the cavity includes a circle;

[0019] The first cover plate and the second cover plate are in contact with each other to form a circle that fits the cross-sectional shape of the cavity.

[0020] In a specific embodiment, the shape of the insertion port includes a rectangle.

[0021] In a specific embodiment, the shape of the insertion port includes a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a rhombus.

[0022] In a specific embodiment, the part to be detected includes the skull of a rodent.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] An electrode protection device provided by the present invention can solve problems such as the electrode being bitten by experimental animals and being contaminated by dust during the experiment, which affect the electrophysiological signal. It can reduce the weight of the electrode protection device and improve its convenience, further reduce the overall weight of the recording device, increase the observation field of view when implanting the electrode, which is beneficial to observing the entry posture of the electrode, and is also beneficial to fixing the electrode protection device to the mouse's head, enabling the electrode protection device to be more stably fixed on the mouse's head, avoiding the electrode from shifting or moving in the mouse's brain due to the shaking of the electrode protection device, and being beneficial to improving the accuracy of experimental data.

[0025] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following specifically enumerates preferred embodiments and, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, makes a detailed description as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other relevant drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the electrode protection device in the embodiment;

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the electrode protection device removing the first cover plate and the second cover plate in the embodiment;

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the first cover plate in the embodiment;

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the second cover plate in the embodiment.

[0031] MAIN ELEMENT SYMBOL DESCRIPTION:

[0032] 1 - Main body; 2 - First cover plate; 3 - Second cover plate; 4 - Cavity; 5 - Fence - type fixing piece; 6 - First connecting piece; 7 - Insertion port; 8 - Second connecting piece; 9 - Third connecting piece; 10 - First groove; 11 - Second groove; 12 - First protrusion; 13 - Second protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0033] Embodiment

[0034] As Figures 1-4As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an electrode protection device, including: a main body 1, a first cover plate 2, and a second cover plate 3. There is a cavity 4 inside the main body 1 for installing recording electrodes. The bottom of the main body 1 has a fence-type fixing member 5, and the fence-type fixing member 5 is used to be fixed to the part to be detected. A first connecting member 6 is provided on the main body 1. The first connecting member 6 is preferably arranged at the top of the main body 1, specifically preferably at the top of the cavity 4. An insertion port 7 and a second connecting member 8 are provided on the first cover plate 2. The insertion port 7 is used to insert the headstage interface. A third connecting member 9 is provided on the second cover plate 3. The second connecting member 8 is inserted and connected to the first connecting member 6 to fix the first cover plate 2 on the top of the main body 1. The third connecting member 9 is inserted and connected to the first connecting member 6 to fix the second cover plate 3 on the top of the main body 1.

[0035] Preferably, the recording electrode is preferably a microfilament electrode or a silicon-based electrode; the insertion port 7 is preferably a rectangular opening; specifically, the rectangular opening at the top of the main body 1 (i.e., the rectangular opening on the first cover plate 2) is the insertion port 7 for the headstage interface of Plexon. During the implantation surgery, it should be noted to align the Connector insertion port with this rectangular opening to facilitate the insertion of the heandstage interface. Plexon is a multi-channel electrophysiological recorder, which is a scientific instrument used in the fields of biology and basic medicine; headstage is a front-end amplifier; Connector is a connector.

[0036] Specifically, both the first cover plate 2 and the second cover plate 3 at the top of the main body 1 are of a spliced structure, different from other integral screwing-in or integral inserting types. On the premise of reducing the overall weight, the stability is greatly improved. Moreover, due to the restraint of the insertion port 7 at the top of the main body 1 (i.e., the insertion port 7 on the first cover plate 2) on the headstage interface, it is more synchronous with the behavior of the experimental mouse, can reduce the generation of movement noise, and further improves the quality of experimental data.

[0037] Specifically, this invention is used for mouse electroencephalogram recording surgery. The use of a split protection device can greatly reduce the weight of the electrode protection device and also reduce the difficulty of processing and assembly. At the same time, it can largely avoid the damage of the electrodes by animals after the operation. And before electroencephalogram data acquisition, only a small amount of tape on the first cover plate 2 and the second cover plate 3 needs to be torn off, replacing the traditional tape protection and avoiding the electrode detachment caused by large torque when tearing the tape.

[0038] Preferably, this embodiment can solve problems such as the electrodes being bitten by experimental animals and being contaminated by dust during the experiment, which affect electrophysiological signals. It can reduce the weight of the electrode protection device and improve the convenience of the electrode protection device, further reducing the overall weight of the recording device. It can also increase the observation field of view when implanting the electrodes, which is beneficial for observing the entry posture of the electrodes. Additionally, it is beneficial for fixing the electrode protection device to the mouse's head, enabling the electrode protection device to be more stably fixed on the mouse's head, avoiding the electrodes shifting or moving in the mouse's brain due to the shaking of the electrode protection device, and being conducive to improving the accuracy of experimental data.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the fence-type fixing member 5 includes a circle.

[0040] Specifically, the setting of the fence-type fixing member 5 can greatly improve the stability of the main body 1. It can also have a good observation field of view during implantation while protecting the electrodes from external influences. When fixing, due to the fence-type structural design, dental cement can be poured and fixed at both ends of the bottom.

[0041] In this embodiment, the fence-type fixing member 5 includes at least 2 fixing feet, and each fixing foot is arranged at intervals.

[0042] Preferably, in this embodiment, the fence-type fixing member 5 preferably includes 3 fixing feet, each fixing foot is arranged at intervals, and the distance between each fixing foot is preferably the same. It should be noted that the fence-type fixing member 5 including 3 fixing feet is only a preference in this embodiment. In other embodiments, the fence-type fixing member 5 can include 2, 4, or 5 fixing feet.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first connecting member 6 includes a first groove 10 and a second groove 11, the second connecting member 8 includes a first protrusion 12, and the third connecting member 9 includes a second protrusion 13. The first protrusion 12 is inserted into and cooperates with the first groove 10 to fix the first cover plate 2 on the top of the main body 1, and the second protrusion 13 is inserted into and cooperates with the second groove 11 to fix the second cover plate 3 on the top of the main body 1.

[0044] Specifically, both the first groove 10 and the second groove 11 are preferably arranged on the top of the main body 1. The first groove 10 serves as the insertion end of the first cover plate 2 for fixing the first cover plate 2, and the second groove 11 serves as the insertion end of the second cover plate 3 for fixing the second cover plate 3. The first protrusion 12 is used to insert into the first groove 10 to fix the first cover plate 2 on the top of the main body 1, and the second protrusion 13 is used to insert into the second groove 11 to fix the second cover plate 3 on the top of the main body 1.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first protrusion 12 includes a hollow structure, and the second protrusion 13 includes a hollow structure.

[0046] Specifically, the first protrusion 12 is a fixing device for the first cover plate 2 and the main body 1, and the second protrusion 13 is a fixing device for the second cover plate 3 and the main body 1. Both the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 adopt a hollowed-out design to reduce the overall weight of the electrode protection device.

[0047] In this embodiment, both the first groove 10 and the second groove 11 are semi-cylindrical groove bodies. The first protrusion 12 includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the first groove 10, and the second protrusion 13 includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the second groove 11.

[0048] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first cover plate 2 includes a semi-circle, the cross-sectional shape of the second cover plate 3 includes a semi-circle, the cross-sectional shape of the cavity 4 includes a circle, and the first cover plate 2 and the second cover plate 3 are in contact with each other to form a circle that fits the cross-sectional shape of the cavity 4.

[0049] In this embodiment, the shape of the insertion port 7 includes a rectangle.

[0050] It should be noted that the shape of the insertion port 7 including a rectangle is only a preference in this embodiment. In other embodiments, the shape of the insertion port 7 can include a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a rhombus.

[0051] In this embodiment, the part to be detected includes the skull of a mouse.

[0052] Preferably, all parts of this device are manufactured using 3D printing technology. Specifically, after the electrodes are implanted and the grid-like fixing member 5 at the bottom of the main body 1 is fixed to the skull of the experimental mouse, the first protrusion 12 on the first cover plate 2 is inserted into the first groove 10 at the top of the main body 1 to fix the first cover plate 2 to the top of the main body 1, and the second protrusion 13 on the second cover plate 3 is inserted into the second groove 11 at the top of the main body 1 to fix the second cover plate 3 to the top of the main body 1 to complete the assembly. Since the first protrusion 12 on the first cover plate 2 and the first groove 10 at the top of the main body 1 are in clearance fit, and the second protrusion 13 on the second cover plate 3 and the second groove 11 at the top of the main body 1 are in clearance fit, after the implantation surgery, it needs to be adhered with tape, and not much tape is required, which can avoid the phenomenon of generating a large torque when removing the tape and prevent loosening. Also, the insertion port 7 of the headstage needs to be sealed with tape to prevent dust from falling in. When the headstage interface needs to be inserted, the tape is removed. The present invention can greatly avoid the damage of the electrodes by animals after the operation, and before the electroencephalogram data collection, only a small amount of tape on the first cover plate 2 and the second cover plate 3 needs to be torn off, replacing the traditional tape protection and avoiding the electrode detachment caused by the large torque generated when tearing off the tape.

[0053] Preferably, in other preferred embodiments, a shielding device can also be integrated on the main body 1, so as to form a more comprehensive shielding field to offset the influence of noise on the electroencephalogram signals.

[0054] Compared with the prior art, an electrode protection device provided in this embodiment can solve some problems that affect electrophysiological signals, such as the electrodes being bitten by experimental animals and being contaminated by dust during the experiment. It can reduce the weight of the electrode protection device and improve the convenience of the electrode protection device, further reduce the overall weight of the recording device, increase the observation field of view when implanting the electrodes, which is beneficial to observing the entry posture of the electrodes, and is also beneficial to fixing the electrode protection device to the head of the mouse, so that the electrode protection device can be more stably fixed on the head of the mouse, and can prevent the electrodes from shifting or moving in the mouse's brain due to the shaking of the electrode protection device, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of experimental data.

[0055] Those skilled in the art can understand that the drawings are only schematic diagrams of a preferred implementation scenario, and the modules or processes in the drawings are not necessarily essential for implementing the present invention.

[0056] Those skilled in the art can understand that the modules in the device in the implementation scenario can be distributed in the device in the implementation scenario according to the description of the implementation scenario, or can be correspondingly changed and located in one or more devices different from the present implementation scenario. The modules in the above implementation scenario can be combined into one module, or further split into multiple sub-modules.

[0057] The above serial numbers of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the implementation scenarios.

[0058] The above discloses only several specific implementation scenarios of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes that can be conceived by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrode protection device, characterized in that, The electrode protection device is a split protection device, including: a main body, a first cover plate and a second cover plate. The interior of the main body is a hollow structure. There is a cavity in the main body for installing a recording electrode. The bottom of the main body has a fence-type fixing member for fixing to the part to be detected; a first connecting member is provided on the main body, an insertion port and a second connecting member are provided on the first cover plate. The insertion port is for inserting a headstage interface, and a third connecting member is provided on the second cover plate; the second connecting member is inserted and connected with the first connecting member to fix the first cover plate on the top of the main body, and the third connecting member is inserted and connected with the first connecting member to fix the second cover plate on the top of the main body; the fence-type fixing member includes at least two fixing feet, and each of the fixing feet is arranged at intervals.

2. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the cross-sectional shape of the fence-type fixing member includes a circle.

3. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the first connecting member includes a first groove and a second groove, the second connecting member includes a first protrusion, and the third connecting member includes a second protrusion; the first protrusion is inserted and matched with the first groove to fix the first cover plate on the top of the main body, and the second protrusion is inserted and matched with the second groove to fix the second cover plate on the top of the main body.

4. The electrode protection device according to claim 3, wherein: the first protrusion includes a hollow structure; the second protrusion includes a hollow structure.

5. The electrode protection device according to claim 3, wherein: both the first groove and the second groove are semi-cylindrical groove bodies; the first protrusion includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the first groove, and the second protrusion includes a semi-cylindrical protrusion that cooperates with the second groove.

6. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the cross-sectional shape of the first cover plate includes a semi-circle, the cross-sectional shape of the second cover plate includes a semi-circle, and the cross-sectional shape of the cavity includes a circle; the first cover plate and the second cover plate are in contact with each other to form a circle that fits the cross-sectional shape of the cavity.

7. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the shape of the insertion port includes a rectangle.

8. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the shape of the insertion port includes a circle, an ellipse, a triangle or a rhombus.

9. The electrode protection device according to claim 1, wherein: the part to be detected includes the skull of a rodent.

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