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Published

A clinical grade neurostimulation implant for hierarchical control of physiological activity

Authors

Moaad Benjaber, Mayela Zamora, Robert Toth, John E Fleming, Kei Landin, Victoria S Marks, Rachel A Crockett, Jae-Wook Ryou, Alceste Deli, Alexander L Green, Rory J Piper, Martin M Tisdall, Derk-Jan Dijk, Nicholas D Schiff, Andrew Sharott, Keith P Purpura, Jonathan L Baker, Joram J van Rheede, Timothy J Denison

Abstract

bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Oct 22:2025.10.21.683630. doi: 10.1101/2025.10.21.683630.

ABSTRACT

Bioelectronic implants for neurostimulation aim to steer disordered neurophysiological processes back towards a healthy state. However, physiology is subject to biological rhythms, including the circadian rhythm and the sleep-wake cycle. These predictable rhythms affect disease symptomatology, biomarkers used in closed-loop therapies, and a physiological system's expected response to stimulation. Therefore, therapeutic devices should incorporate feedforward elements to align algorithm parameters with predictable changes in physiological state, as a parallel of physiological rheostatic control. Here we introduce the DyNeuMo-2c, the first clinical-grade implant capable of delivering closed-loop neurostimulation while flexibly changing its functional configuration according to time of day. The device can chronically measure brain activity and motion state to track potential biomarker patterns in natural, out-of-clinic settings, allowing identification and targeting of patient-specific chronotypes. The system implements a hierarchical control flow, with baseline therapy set by a circadian scheduler, and adaptive policies layered to take effect based on specific biomarkers indicating patient and disease state. Using a benchtop validation setup, we demonstrate that the system has the required capabilities for delivering time-contingent closed-loop therapy in two established clinical use cases: Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Next, we deploy the system in vivo to deliver closed-loop deep brain stimulation in a healthy non-human primate model of vigilance, highlighting the importance of synchronisation between device operation and physiological state in various conditions (task performance, unconstrained behaviour, and sleep). Time-of-day-dependent adaptation of closed-loop stimulation enabled modulation of both vigilance and behaviour. Overall, the novel device architecture provides a proof-of-concept for delivering time-contingent therapy in chronic therapeutic settings where biological rhythms are of key importance.

PMID:41279757 | PMC:PMC12633544 | DOI:10.1101/2025.10.21.683630

UK DRI Authors

Derk-Jan Dijk

Prof Derk-Jan Dijk

Group Leader

Developing and evaluating new technologies that can measure a person’s sleep and wake patterns at home

Prof Derk-Jan Dijk