Implantable 16-256 channel data system for sleep in mice

描述(申请人提供)：睡眠不足和睡眠障碍对美国人的健康、社会和经济福祉的影响是巨大的。然而，我们对睡眠的控制和功能的了解仍然非常有限，而且主要是基于受试者被拴住的研究，具有显著的行为副作用。因此，紧凑的、可植入的记录系统已经成为睡眠研究中的一个主要因素，特别是在拴系不可行的小型转基因小鼠模型中。现有的遥测系统在收集信息量方面受到严重限制，不利于大多数研究。为了满足这一需求，我们组建了一个跨学科团队，以解决四个具体目标。首先，我们将开发一种可长期植入神经组织皮质表面的柔性电极阵列。传统的刚性电极阵列需要很大的头骨开口。柔性阵列具有组织损伤最小的优点，因为插入柔性阵列只需要在头骨上开一个槽。多通道记录的一个主要缺点来自16至256个或更多通道的电生理所需的大量导线。信号多路复用可以有所帮助，但包括放大器、过滤器和多路复用器在内的可用组件相对较大。因此，我们的第二个目标是开发一种小型片上模拟系统，包括前置放大器、滤波器、多路复用器和16位模数转换器，用于对16到256个通道进行采样，每个通道最高可达32 kHz。该芯片最初只需要5根线进行串行数字连接，重量不到1克。我们的第三个目标是实现高速无线技术，允许串行数字数据直接从采集芯片传输到我们的计算机接口卡，而不需要使用有线。数字无线技术的最新发展使传输信号的数据速率达到了前所未有的水平。然而，为了让无线技术发挥作用，我们的第四个目标将集中在一种能够完全不受束缚的记录的植入式电源上。将探索不同的电源技术，包括电池和磁感应。当自由行为的动物，特别是小型啮齿动物需要许多电生理学、EEC、SEP和多单位电极的通道时，这项提案中开发的技术将为神经科学提供强大的新工具。这项新技术对于需要许多具有高数据速率的通道的无线医疗设备来说尤为重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The impact of sleep loss and sleep disorders on the health, social and economic well being of Americans is enormous. Yet our knowledge about the control and function of sleep remains severely limited, and based largely on studies where subjects are tethered, with significant behavioral side- effects. Thus, compact, implantable recording systems have become a major factor in sleep studies, especially in small transgenic mouse models where tethering is not practical. Existing telemetry systems are severely limited in the amount of information they can gather, and are not conducive for most studies. To address this need, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team to address four specific aims. First, we will develop a flexible electrode array that can be chronically implanted on the cortical surface of neural tissue. Traditional rigid electrode arrays require large skull openings. The flexible array has the advantage of minimal tissue trauma because only a slot in the skull is needed to insert the flexible array. One major drawback of multi-channel recordings comes from the large number of wires required for 16 to 256 or more channels of electrophysiology. Signals multiplexing can help, but available components including amplifiers, filters and multiplexers are comparatively large. Thus, our second aim will develop a miniature analog-system-on-a-chip, including preamplifiers, filters, multiplexer and 16 bit analog-to-digital converter for sampling 16 to 256 channels up to 32 kHz per channel. The chip will initially require only 5 wires for a serial digital connection and will weigh less than 1 gram. Our third aim will be to implement high speed wireless technology to allow the serial digital data to be transmitted directly from the acquisition chip to our computer interface card without the use of wires. Recent developments in digital wireless technology have allowed unprecedented data rates through transmitted signals. However, in order for wireless technology to be effective, our fourth aim will focus on an implantable power source enabling fully untethered recordings. Different power source technologies will be explored including battery and magnetic inductance. The technologies developed within this proposal will provide powerful new tools for neuroscience when many channels of electrophysiology, EEC, SEP and multi-unit electrodes are required in freely behaving animals, especially small rodents. The new technology is particularly important for wireless medical devices that require many channels with high data rates.