Peri‐Infarct Cortical Network Remapping During Stroke Recovery via a Soft Liquid Metal Neural Interface

ABSTRACT

Stroke causes substantial reorganization of neural activity and connectivity in the peri‐infarct cortex during functional recovery. Tracking these changes at high resolution, however, remains difficult. Mechanical mismatch of conventional rigid neural probes is exacerbated in the fragile peri‐infarct region, destabilizing the tissue‐electrode interface and limiting long‐term recording. Here, we present a fully soft, liquid metal‐based multichannel neural interface that enables stable electrophysiological recording in freely moving mice. Using this platform, we performed longitudinal recordings before and after ischemic stroke, enabling within‐animal comparisons. We applied complementary analyses of population‐level latent dynamics and functional connectivity, capturing network‐level coordination and pairwise interactions. Both analyses revealed acute suppression followed by partial recovery without restoration of the pre‐stroke state. Instead, neural networks reorganized into a distinct and reproducible functional configuration. These findings establish soft liquid metal neural interfaces combined with population‐level analysis as a useful approach for resolving neural reorganization during stroke recovery.