Scalable Electrode Technology for High Resolution Chronic Recording of Brain

摘要 用于记录细胞外神经活动的慢性植入微电极阵列(MEA)是 动物行为中神经回路功能的科学研究。这些研究试图了解神经元是如何 对信息进行编码，以及如何对神经信号进行解码，以提供对大脑学习和 功能障碍。大多数微电极MEA，特别是那些商业上可用的微电极都是制造出来的 来自与集成电路微制造和封装相关的硅和杠杆技术。为 微电极MEAs，慢性神经记录的主要限制是组织反应 包裹电极并杀死或损伤电极附近的神经元和降解 MEA制造中使用的材料失效。最大限度地减少异物反应的有效方法是 使用具有亚细胞横截面尺寸的超微电极MEAs(UMEA)。在相关工作中，我们有 证明了碳纤维超微电极基本上避免了异物反应，并已被 显示了在小动物模型中提供稳定的慢性神经记录。然而，可扩展的制造 碳纤维超微电极的工艺还没有出现。拟议的努力旨在开发和 论证了基于非晶态碳化硅的超微电极的长期稳定性和可靠性。 SIC)采用行业标准薄膜工艺制造的UMEA。我们的目标是开发一种人造的 32~128个超微电极的a-SiCUMEA工艺及稳定性研究 通过使用慢性神经记录和组织学来加速实验室测试及其功能 在大鼠皮质和3-4年的非人类灵长类动物研究中植入。以促进a-ic Umea的传播 还将开发技术、电气互连硬件和植入方法。我们期待着 通过提供高度稳定的神经接口来影响神经科学界的建议 允许单个单位和整体记录，用于在不同的维度上探测神经元电路 可以与当前的多电极记录设备一起使用。我们预计a-ic UMEA将为以下方面提供新的见解 神经网络和神经回路的变化可能伴随着行为和适应。

Abstract Chronically implanted microelectrode arrays (MEAs) for recording extracellular neural activity are central to scientific studies of neural circuit function in behaving animals. These studies seek to understand how neurons encode information and how neural signals can be decoded to provide insights into brain learning and dysfunction. The majority of microelectrode MEAs, and especially those available commercially, are fabricated from silicon and leverage techniques associated with integrated circuit microfabrication and packaging. For microelectrode MEAs, the major limitations for chronic neural recording are the reactive tissue response that encapsulates electrodes and kills or damages neurons in the vicinity of the electrode and the degradation and failure of materials used in MEA fabrication. An effective means of minimizing the foreign body response is the use of ultramicroelectrode MEAs (UMEAs) with subcellular cross-sectional dimensions. In related work, we have demonstrated that carbon-fiber ultramicroelectrodes substantially evade a foreign body response and have been shown to provide stable chronic neural recordings in small-animal models. However, a scalable manufacturing process for carbon-fiber ultramicroelectrodes has not emerged. The proposed effort is aimed at developing and demonstrating the chronic stability and reliability of ultramicroelectrodes based on amorphous silicon carbide (a- SiC) UMEAs that are fabricated by industry-standard thin-film processes. We aim to develop a fabrication process for a-SiC UMEAs with 32 to 128 ultramicroelectrodes and demonstrate the stability of these UMEAs through accelerated laboratory testing and their functionality by neural recording and histology using chronic implants in rat cortex and in a 3-4 year non-human primate study. To facilitate dissemination of the a-SiC UMEA technology, electrical interconnect hardware and implantation methods will also be developed. We anticipate the proposed a-SiC UMEAs impacting the neuroscience community by providing a highly stable neural interface that allows single-unit and ensemble recording for probing neuronal circuitry on a dimensional scale that is not possible with current multielectrode recording devices. We expect a-SiC UMEAs will provide new insights into the neural networks and changes in neural circuitry that may accompany behavior and adaption.