Silicon Probes for Multisite Recording in the Nervous System

该项目的最终目标是开发并为神经科学研究界提供基于硅的微电极阵列（“探针”），用于记录来自神经组织的信号，以及执行实际多位点神经元记录实验的关键支持设备。这种微小的叉形硅探针在其多个轴上都有几个微电极，可以同时记录不同深度和横向间距的多个神经元。每个轴占用的体积通常小于一对微丝电极。使用这些探针，将有可能获得局部神经元网络的详细外观。基础技术的初步开发已经在美国国家科学基金会先前的资助下完成。探针是用一种新的微加工工艺制造出来的，并记录了麻醉大鼠小脑皮层的神经信号。目前的拨款将支持进一步开发仪器，并在三个不同的神经生理学实验室进行测试。这一资助期的目标是通过与商业神经科学设备供应商的合作，将技术发展到可以在资助结束时分发给外部用户的程度。通过这种方法，该项目应该会产生广泛而迅速的影响，使整个神经科学界都能接触到硅探针实验。

The ultimate objective of this project is to develop and to make available to the neuroscience research community siliconbased microelectrode arrays ("probes") for recording signals from nervous tissue, as well as critical supporting equipment for performing practical multisite neuronal recording experiments. The tiny fork-shaped silicon probes have several microelectrodes on each of their multiple shafts, and allow simultaneous recording from multiple neurons at various depths and lateral spacings. Each shaft typically occupies less volume than a pair of microwire electrodes. Using these probes, it will be possible to obtain a detailed look at a local network of neurons. Initial development of the basic technologies has been accomplished with the support of a previous grant from NSF. Probes have been manufactured using a new microfabrication process, and neural signals have been recorded with them from the cerebellar cortex of an anesthetized rat. The present grant will support efforts to further develop the instrumentation and to test it in three different neurophysiology laboratories. The goal of this funding period is to develop the technology to the point that it can be distributed to outside users at the end of the grant, through a collaboration with a commercial ncuroscience equipment vendor. With this approach, the project should have a broad and rapid impact by making silicon probe experiments accessible to the neuroscience community at large.