64-Channel Carbon Fiber Electrode Arrays for Chronic Electrophysiology
64-Channel Carbon Fiber Electrode Arrays for Chronic Electrophysiology
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DOI：
10.1038/s41598-020-60873-y
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发表时间：
2020-03-02
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Cox, David
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Guitchounts, Grigori;Cox, David
神经科学的一个主要目标是了解神经元活动如何与行为，感知和认知相关。然而，长时间监测神经元活动在技术上具有挑战性，并且部分地受到记录工具的侵入性的限制。虽然电极允许在自由行为的动物中进行记录，但它们往往体积庞大且僵硬，对植入的组织造成损伤。解决这种侵入性问题的一种方法可能是探针足够小，可以在免疫系统的雷达下飞行。碳纤维（CF）电极比典型的金属或硅电极更薄，更灵活，但在以前的报告中描述的阵列具有低通道数，需要耗时的手动组装。在这里，我们报告了一个扩展通道计数碳纤维电极阵列（CFEA）的设计，以及使用酸蚀刻和电镀与PEDOT-TFB的记录站点的快速制备方法，并证明了64通道CFEA从大鼠视皮层记录的能力。我们包括将系统与微驱动器或柔性PCB电缆连接的设计，用于从多个大脑区域进行记录，以及用绝缘体Parylene-C涂覆CF的便利方法。因此，高通道数CFEA可能是传统的基于微丝的电极的替代品，也是探索神经代码的实用工具。
A chief goal in neuroscience is to understand how neuronal activity relates to behavior, perception, and cognition. However, monitoring neuronal activity over long periods of time is technically challenging, and limited, in part, by the invasive nature of recording tools. While electrodes allow for recording in freely-behaving animals, they tend to be bulky and stiff, causing damage to the tissue they are implanted in. One solution to this invasiveness problem may be probes that are small enough to fly under the immune system's radar. Carbon fiber (CF) electrodes are thinner and more flexible than typical metal or silicon electrodes, but the arrays described in previous reports had low channel counts and required time-consuming manual assembly. Here we report the design of an expanded-channel-count carbon fiber electrode array (CFEA) as well as a method for fast preparation of the recording sites using acid etching and electroplating with PEDOT-TFB, and demonstrate the ability of the 64-channel CFEA to record from rat visual cortex. We include designs for interfacing the system with micro-drives or flex-PCB cables for recording from multiple brain regions, as well as a facilitated method for coating CFs with the insulator Parylene-C. High-channel-count CFEAs may thus be an alternative to traditional microwire-based electrodes and a practical tool for exploring the neural code.