FURI | Summer 2025

Analyzing Frequency-dependent Changes in Electrical Impedance Under Varying Intracranial Pressure Conditions

Monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) is essential for managing life-threatening conditions such as cerebral edema or hydrocephalus. However, current techniques such as intraventricular catheters are highly invasive, lack reliability, and are often unsuitable for long-term applications. This highlights a critical need for alternative monitoring methods. The aim of this research is to investigate the potential use of electrical impedance for ICP monitoring, including an exploration of how effective different ranges of the frequency spectrum are for detecting ICP fluctuations. Preliminary results from benchtop experiments using frozen porcine brains indicate that electrical impedances at low frequencies (<1 kHz) increase with increasing intracranial pressure. However, this observation needs to be confirmed with additional experiments involving more accurate brain tissue models.