Autonomous MEMS probes for intracellular recording

项目摘要/摘要 活体神经元细胞内记录在无与伦比的空间和时间包含丰富的功能信息 分辨率，通常被认为是测试关于大脑功能和 功能障碍。然而，用目前的技术在脊椎动物身上很难获得它们。 因此，即使是高技能的神经生理学家也只能记录细胞内的活动45分钟到 在麻醉脊椎动物身上最多几个小时，很少有成功记录来自 清醒的，在很短的时间内表现出动物的行为。 目前提议的总体目标是开发一种用于记录细胞内信号的头盔系统 麻醉动物神经元团的活体膜电位 醒着，举止乖巧的动物。我们建议使用基于微机电系统(MEMS)的技术 为了显著降低形状因数并开发一种头戴式自主纳米电极系统， 将(A)自动化并最大限度地减少细胞内记录实验中的“ART”，以及(B)实现细胞内 麻醉动物单个神经元的记录。我们将在过去成功的基础上继续发展 MEMS可移动微电极系统用于脑内单个和多个单位活动的慢性记录 活着。该提案的具体目标是(A)设计、开发和测试一种纳米电极系统，该系统将 自主地将纳米电极放置在非洲爪哇卵母细胞内，并记录膜电位和 (B)测试自主纳米电极系统记录细胞内稳定电位的能力 取海兔腹侧神经节，大鼠海马区脑片，最后制成麻醉成年大鼠模型。 项目目标的成功完成将使细胞内记录技术更容易获得 用于啮齿动物实验，因此将影响广泛的神经生理学研究。这个 这里提出的纳米电极方法也很容易扩展，以实现更高的记录通道数 来自神经元集合的细胞内活动捕捉新出现的功能与行为相关。

Project Summary/Abstract In-vivo neuronal intracellular recordings contain rich, functional information at unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution and are generally considered fundamental to testing hypotheses about brain function and dysfunction. However, they are extremely difficult to obtain in vertebrate animals with current technology. Consequently, even highly skilled Neurophysiologists are able to record intra-cellular activity for only 45 min to a maximum of few hours in anesthetized vertebrate animals with rare instances of successful recordings from awake, behaving animals for very short durations. The overall goal of the current proposal is to develop a head-mounted system for recording intra-cellular membrane potentials in vivo from ensembles of neurons in anesthetized animals initially and subsequently in awake, behaving animals. We propose to use Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based technologies to dramatically reduce the form factor and develop a head-mounted, autonomous nanoelectrode system that will (a) automate and minimize the "art" in intracellular recording experiments and (b) enable intra-cellular recordings from single neurons in anesthetized animals. We will build on our past success in developing MEMS movable microelectrode systems for chronic recording of single and multi-unit activity from the brain in vivo. The specific aims of the proposal are to (a) design, develop and test a nanoelectrode system that will autonomously position the nanoelectrode inside a xenopus oocyte cell and record membrane potentials and (b) test the autonomous nanoelectrode system for its ability to record stable intracellular potentials in isolated abdominal ganglia from Aplysia, rat hippocampal brain slices and finally in anesthetized adult rat models. Successful completion of the project goals will make intracellular recording technology more readily available for rodent experiments and will therefore impact a wide range of neurophysiological studies. The nanoelectrode approach proposed here is also readily scalable to realize higher channel counts to record intracellular activity from ensembles of neurons to capture emergent functional correlates to behavior.