Abstract:
A neural tube capable of complexly playing roles of a support for regenerating a nerve and a nerve electrode has a support connected to a terminal of an injured nerve, and a sieve electrode having an electrode hole formed in a body thereof and a circular electrode formed around the electrode hole, wherein the body of the sieve electrode is buried in the support, wherein a cavity-type channel is formed at the support to extend to the inside of the support, wherein the electrode hole is aligned with the channel, and wherein a nerve cell growing along the channel at the terminal of the injured nerve is capable of contacting the circular electrode.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0142266, filed on Dec. 7, 2012, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to a neural tube, and more particularly, to a neural tube connected to an injured nerve to effectively recover a function of the nerve. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    If a nerve is damaged by cutting or the like, a stimulation occurring in or out of a living body is not properly transferred, which gives a bad influence to an organism. Therefore, endeavors for recovering a function of the injured nerve are being made from various angles. 
         [0006]    In order to recover a function of an injured nerve, a support may be inserted between the cut nerve strands to physically fix the cut nerve strands, and the nerve is regenerated in the support so that the cut nerve strands are connected again. 
         [0007]    However, since there is a limit in a nerve regeneration length, if a nerve is cut and a predetermined length of the nerve is lost, it is very difficult to regenerate the nerve as much as the cut nerve strands contact each other. 
         [0008]    In addition, even though the nerve is regenerated so that the cut nerve strands are connected to each other, it is very difficult to normally recover the original nerve function. For example, a nerve strand which should extend from the brain to the arm may be erroneously connected to a nerve strand connected to the leg. In this case, the nerve system may be confused, which may give rather a bad influence on the living body. 
         [0009]    Therefore, from understanding a function of a nerve that electrically exchanges signals, an effort for supplementing a nerve function by collecting electric signals of a nerve through an electrode is being made. 
         [0010]    However, according to this technique, an electrode is attached directly to a cut nerve and thus is not firmly supported, and it is impossible to figure out a regeneration state of the nerve according to medicine or stimulation treatment. 
         [0011]    In addition, since an electrode is directly attached to a nerve, the nerve tissues may be physically damaged. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    The present disclosure is directed to providing a neural tube which may complexly play roles of a support for regenerating a nerve and a nerve electrode, and a neural signal detection device having the same. 
         [0013]    In one aspect, there is provided a neural tube, which includes: a support connected to a terminal of an injured nerve; and a sieve electrode having an electrode hole formed in a body thereof and a circular electrode formed around the electrode hole, wherein the body of the sieve electrode is buried in the support, wherein a cavity-type channel is formed at the support to extend to the inside of the support, wherein the electrode hole is aligned with the channel, and wherein a nerve cell growing along the channel at the terminal of the injured nerve is capable of contacting the circular electrode. 
         [0014]    According to an embodiment, a plurality of electrode holes may be formed in the sieve electrode, a plurality of channels may be formed in the support, and the electrode holes may be aligned with the channels in a one-to-one relation. 
         [0015]    In addition, the sieve electrode may be disposed perpendicular to the length direction of the channel, and the center of the electrode hole may be located on a longitudinal axis of the channel. 
         [0016]    In addition, the support may have a cylindrical shape or a semicylindrical shape. 
         [0017]    In addition, the support may be made of hydrogel. 
         [0018]    In addition, the channel may contain a medicine for assisting regeneration of the nerve cell or reducing an immune reaction. 
         [0019]    In addition, the sieve electrode may include an electrode connector extending from a circular or semicircular electrode body to the outside of the support, and a linear electrode electrically connected to the circular electrode may be formed at the electrode connector. 
         [0020]    The neural tube according to the present disclosure may simultaneously play a role of a support for regenerating an injured nerve and a role of a nerve electrode for detecting a neural signal. In addition, nerve cells are firmly supported in a channel. 
         [0021]    If a neural signal detection device is configured by using such a neural tube, a neural signal may be properly sent or received without generating a nerve and directly contacting nerve strands. Therefore, errors of the nerve system may be minimized, and there is no limit in a nerve regeneration length. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]    The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the disclosed exemplary embodiments will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0023]      FIGS. 1 to 3  show a neural tube according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 4 to 6  show a neural tube according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a diagram showing a neural signal detection device configured using the neural tube of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Even though the present disclosure is based on the embodiments depicted in the drawings, it is just for better understanding, and the spirit, essential configurations and operations of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a neural tube  100  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG. 2  is a perspective sectional view taken along the line A-A of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a plane view showing the neural tube  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the neural tube  100  includes a cylindrical support  110  and a sieve electrode  120  buried in the support  110 . 
         [0029]    The support  110  has a cylindrical body and is connected to a nerve injured by cutting (see  FIG. 7 ). According to this embodiment, the support  110  is made of hydrogel and is formed by hardening molten hydrogel. The material of the support  110  is not limited to the above, and it should be understood that any bio-friendly material capable of forming a certain shape with a predetermined strength may be adopted as the support  110  of this embodiment. 
         [0030]    The support  110  includes a plurality of channels  111  formed in a body thereof with a cavity shape in the length direction of the support  110 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the channels  111  and the sieve electrode  120  formed in the support  110  are shown with dotted lines for convenience. 
         [0031]    The channel  111  plays a path along which a nerve cell grows from the terminal of a cut nerve. In this embodiment, the channel  111  contains a medicine which assists regeneration of a nerve cell and reduces an immune reaction. 
         [0032]    The sieve electrode  120  of this embodiment has a thin plate shape, and a number of electrode holes  121  corresponding to the number of channels  111  are formed in the circular electrode body  130  to pass from the upper surface thereof to the lower surface thereof. 
         [0033]    The sieve electrode  120  is made of soft polyimide material, and as well shown in  FIG. 2 , a circular electrode  122  is formed around the electrode holes  121 , and a linear electrode  123  extending to an electrode connector  140  is electrically connected to the circular electrode  122 . 
         [0034]    As well shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electrode body  130  of the sieve electrode  120  is arranged perpendicular to the length direction of the channel  111 . At this time, the electrode holes  121  are aligned with the channels  111  of the support  110  in a one-to-one relation. According to this embodiment, the center  124  of the electrode hole  121  is located on the longitudinal axis of the channel  111 . In other words, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the center  124  of the electrode hole  121 , which is a concentric circle, is coincided with the center  112  of the channel  111 . 
         [0035]    According to this embodiment, the electrode hole  121  has a size smaller than the size of the channel  111 . In this configuration, the circular electrode  122  formed around the electrode hole  121  is entirely or partially exposed in the channel  111  as a natural result. 
         [0036]    Therefore, a nerve cell growing at the terminal of the injured nerve along the channel  111  may contact and be electrically connected to the circular electrode  122 . 
         [0037]    Meanwhile, as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the electrode connector  140  may extend from the electrode body  130  of the sieve electrode  120  to the outside of the support  110 , and a pad  150  capable of being connected to sending/receiving devices  410 ,  420  is formed at the end of the electrode connector  140  (see  FIG. 7 ). 
         [0038]    A linear electrode  123  electrically connected to the circular electrode  122  extends at the electrode connector  140  and the pad  150 , so that an electric signal from a nerve cell contacting the circular electrode  122  may be transferred to the outside. 
         [0039]    The neural tube  100  of this embodiment may be made by molding the support  110  by hardening a molten solution of hydrogel to entirely surround at least the electrode body  130  of the sieve electrode  120 . At this time, a jig of a suitable shape is used to form the channel  111  aligned with the electrode hole  122 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a neural tube  200  according to another embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG. 5  is a perspective sectional view, taken along the line B-B of  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 6  is a plane view showing the neural tube  200  of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0041]    The neural tube  200  of this embodiment has a support  210  with a substantially semicylindrical shape, and an electrode body  230  of a sieve electrode  220  has a semicircular shape corresponding thereto. 
         [0042]    The neural tube  200  of this embodiment is substantially identical to the neural tube  100  of the former embodiment, except that the support  210  and the electrode body  230  of the sieve electrode  220  have a semicircular section. 
         [0043]    Corresponding components of the neural tube  100  and the neural tube  200  are distinguished by endowing different hundreds digits, for example  100  and  200 , while maintaining the tens digit and the units digit identically. 
         [0044]    After cutting a spinal nerve of a mouse by half, for example, the neural tube  200  of this embodiment may be appropriately used for the terminal of the cut nerve. In other words, an electric signal of a normal nerve may be connected to the neural tube  200  and the transferred electric signal may be used for comparative experiments. 
         [0045]    The use of the neural tube  200  is not limited just to experiments, but for example, the neural tube  200  may also be used for rehabilitation or treatment of patients by preparing and attaching a support  210  and a sieve electrode  220  in a shape corresponding to a cut portion of a patent whose nerve is partially cut. 
         [0046]      FIG. 7  is a diagram showing a neural signal detection device using the neural tube  100  according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 7  shows a state in which a nerve is cut into an upstream nerve  310  and a downstream nerve  320 . If cut nerve strands are spaced relatively distantly as described above, it is very difficult to regenerate nerve strands and connect them each other. 
         [0048]    Therefore, according to this embodiment, a neural signal detection device for allowing a neural signal to be by-passed by using the neural tube without directly connecting nerves may be configured. 
         [0049]    In detail, the neural tube  100  (first neural tube) is connected to an end of a cut upstream nerve  310 . At this time, the support  110  is connected to the end of the nerve. 
         [0050]    In a state where the neural tube  100  is connected, the upstream nerve  310  is regenerated so that the nerve cell  10  grows into each channel  111  of the neural tube  100 . 
         [0051]    Meanwhile, the pad  150  is connected to the first signal sending/receiving device  410 , so that an electric signal transmitted from the circular electrode  122  may be sent to the first signal sending/receiving device  410  through the linear electrode  123 . 
         [0052]    If the nerve cell  10  grows in the channel  111  and contacts the circular electrode  122  so that an electric signal is detected, it may be easily understood that the nerve cell  10  is effectively regenerated by a medicine or the like. 
         [0053]    Meanwhile, another neural tube  100 ′ (second neural tube) is connected to an end of the cut downstream nerve  320 . The second neural tube has the same configuration as the first neural tube. 
         [0054]    In a state where the second neural tube  100 ′ is connected, the downstream nerve  320  is regenerated so that the nerve cell  10 ′ grows into each channel  111 ′ of the second neural tube  100 ′. 
         [0055]    Identically, the pad is connected to the second signal sending/receiving device  420 , so that an electric signal transmitted from the circular electrode  122 ′ may be sent to the second signal sending/receiving device  420  through the linear electrode  123 ′. 
         [0056]    The first signal sending/receiving device  410  and the second signal sending/receiving device  420  may be connected in a wired or wireless manner to exchange signals. 
         [0057]    If a signal from the brain is transferred to the circular electrode  122  of the first neural tube  100  through the upstream nerve  310 , the signal is transferred to the first signal sending/receiving device  410 . 
         [0058]    The first signal sending/receiving device  410  sends the transferred neural signal to the second signal sending/receiving device  420 , and the second signal sending/receiving device  420  sends the signal to the second neural tube  100 ′, thereby to the downstream nerve  320 . 
         [0059]    It is known in the art that neural signals transferred through a single nerve strand may be classified based on functions (for example, into signals to be sent to the leg and signals to be sent to the hand). The neural signals transferred from the upstream nerve  310  are classified based on functions. The neural signals classified based on functions are transmitted to the second signal sending/receiving device  420  by the first signal sending/receiving device  410 , and the second signal sending/receiving device  420  suitably classifies the signals again and transmits to the nerve cell  10 ′. 
         [0060]    On the contrary, neural signals transferred from the downstream nerve  320  may be sent to the upstream nerve  310  through a route opposite to the above. 
         [0061]    According to this configuration, even though cut nerve bundles are spaced relatively distantly, there is no burden of directly connecting the cut nerves. 
         [0062]    In addition, since neural signals transferred from the upstream nerve may be classified based on functions and the classified signals may be distinguishably sent to each nerve cell of the downstream nerve in a suitable way, it is possible to prevent nerves from being erroneously connected and thus causing confusion in the nerve system. 
         [0063]    According to this embodiment, even though the first neural tube  100  and the second neural tube  100 ′ are separately formed independently, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. If the upstream nerve  310  and the downstream nerve  320  formed by cutting a nerve are disposed relatively closely, the supports of the first neural tube  100  and the second neural tube  100 ′ may be integrally formed so that the cut nerve bundle may be fixed as a single strand. 
         [0064]    In addition, according to this embodiment, since neural signals may be communicated wirelessly by the first signal sending/receiving device  410  and the second signal sending/receiving device  420 , even though the first neural tube  100  is connected to the upstream nerve  310 , the second neural tube  100 ′ may not be directly connected to the downstream nerve  320  but the nerve may be directly connected to a final destination of the neural signal, for example the hand or the foot. In other words, a plurality of second neural tubes  100 ′ and a plurality of second signal sending/receiving devices  420  connected thereto may be disposed at each point in a living body. This configuration may be very suitably used when, for example, the downstream nerve  320  is seriously damaged. 
         [0065]    While the exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.