3D NEURAL RECORDING SYSTEM: SELF-ASSEMBLY TOOLS AND TEST

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一个“修订”的R21申请，以响应“神经技术研究，开发和增强”计划公告，以开发和测试3D多通道无线光学神经记录系统。这项研究的“第一个目标”是开发一种无线光学神经记录系统，以克服目前系统的局限性，这些系统昂贵，复杂，难以使用。目前将神经植入物连接到放大器和计算机的电缆限制了可以进行的实验范围。无线系统将大大简化和扩展行为神经科学的记录技术，并在癫痫和其他疾病研究中找到用途。所提出的系统具有3D拓扑结构。它由连接到硅平台的光学像素元件阵列组成，所述硅平台包含通孔阵列，所述通孔阵列包含折叠的微加工硅电极。像素放大神经元信号，并将信号光学传输到远程相机。由于所需的3D拓扑结构，该系统不能使用传统方法制造。传统的方法，包括表面微加工和机器人装配线限制了生物医学设备社区的2D设备拓扑结构。拟议研究的“第二个目标”是克服这一限制。提出了开发新的工具来实现神经记录系统。该工具基于自组装和折叠;具体地，（i）顺序自组装过程以制造、组装像素元件并将像素元件与记录电极电连接，以及（ii）折叠过程以在平面外位置旋转记录电极。这些工具使生物医学设备社区普遍受益，因为它们能够快速制作3D小型化系统的原型。“第三个目标”是测试已实现的系统。第一个系统将包含连接到16个电极的96个像素的阵列，具有6个记录位点。该系统将用于测量清醒行为大鼠的局部场电位，以深入了解纹状体局部场电位在行为中的作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a "revised" R21 application submitted in response to the "Neurotechnology Research, Development, and Enhancement" program announcement to develop and test a 3D multi-channel wireless optical neural recording system. The "first goal" of the proposed research is to develop a wireless optical neural recording system to overcome the limitations of current systems which are expensive, complex, and difficult to use. Current cabling to connect the neural implant to the amplifiers and computers limit the range of experiments that can be done. A wire-less system would greatly simplify and extend recording technology for behavioral neuroscience and find uses in epilepsy and other disease studies. The proposed system has a 3D topology. It consists of an array of optical pixel elements that are connected to a silicon platform containing an array of through holes that contain folded microfabricated silicon electrodes. The pixels amplify the neuron signals and optically transmit the signals to a remote camera. The system cannot be fabricated using traditional methods due to the required 3D topology. Traditional methods, including surface micromachining and robotic assembly lines limit the biomedical device community to 2D device topologies. The "second goal" of the proposed research is to overcome this limitation. The development of novel tools are proposed to realize the neural recording system. The tools are based on self-assembly and folding; in particular, a (i) sequential self-assembly process to fabricate, assemble, and electrically connect the pixel elements with the recording electrodes, and a (ii) folding process to rotate the recording electrodes in an out-of-plane position. The tools benefit the biomedical device community in general as they enable the rapid prototyping of 3D-miniaturized systems. The "third goal" is to test the realized system. The first system will contain an array of 96 pixels connected to 16 electrodes with 6 recording sites. The system will be used to measure local field potentials in awake-behaving rats to gain insight into the role of striatal local field potentials in behavior.