Modular systems for measuring and manipulating brain activity

 描述(申请人提供)：大脑是一个由大量相互连接的专门电路组成的网络。即使是曾经被认为支持相对简单的前馈处理的主要感觉区域，现在也被认为是复杂反馈电路的一部分。所有的大脑功能都依赖于这些大脑网络上的毫秒级时间尺度的相互作用，但目前的方法无法测量或操纵这些相互作用，并以足够的分辨率来解决它们。我们需要有能力测量和操纵分布在解剖或功能连接电路上的大型神经元集合的活动。这种技术还不存在，这种缺乏促使我们努力开发一种用于大规模、多站点的新系统 记录和操作需要集成生物兼容聚合物电极、新的头台放大器、基于以太网的新数据传输系统和开源实时跨平台软件。该系统将支持在清醒状态下对动物进行数千个通道的录音和操作，并为下一代实验提供闭环反馈。我们的具体目标是1)开发新的高密度、双面聚合物记录/操作探头，2)开发新的高密度头台芯片、集成电极-头台组件和植入它们的外科技术，3)开发具有开源软件和实时能力的低成本、功能强大的数据采集系统。我们组建了一支独特的科学家和工程师团队，他们拥有涵盖聚合物电极技术、集成电子学、实时系统、大规模记录和商业经验的专业知识。我们的综合专业知识将使我们能够创建并向神经科学界提供一个集成系统，该系统将允许对清醒、行为正常的动物的许多部位的神经活动进行大规模、分布式测量和操作。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The brain is a massively interconnected network of specialized circuits. Even primary sensory areas, once thought to support relatively simple, feed-forward processing, are now known to be parts of complex feedback circuits. All brain functions depend on millisecond timescale interactions across these brain networks, but current approaches cannot measure or manipulate these interactions with sufficient resolution to resolve them. We need the capacity to measure and manipulate the activity large ensembles of neurons distributed across anatomically or functionally connected circuits. That technology does not yet exist, a lack that motivates our efforts to develop a new system for large scale, multisite recording and manipulation that takes integrates biocompatible polymer electrodes, new headstage amplifiers, a new Ethernet-based data transmission system and open source, real-time cross-platform software. This system will support recordings and manipulations across thousands of channels in awake, behaving animals as well as closed loop feedback for the next generation of experiments. Our Specific Aims are 1) To develop new high-density, double-sided polymer recording/manipulation probes, 2) To develop new high-density headstage chips, integrated electrode- headstage assemblies and surgical techniques for implanting them, and 3) To develop a low-cost, powerful data acquisition system with open-source software and real-time capabilities. We have assembled a unique team of scientists and engineers with expertise spanning polymer electrode technology, integrated electronics, real-time systems, large-scale recording, and commercial experience. Our combined expertise will allow us to create and provide to the neuroscience community an integrated system that will allow for large scale, distributed measurements and manipulation of neural activity across many sites in awake, behaving animals.