MRI-compatible and integrated devices for simultaneous neural recording, stimulation, imaging

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Project Summary The use of technologies for imaging, recording and modulating brain activity is rapidly advancing neuroscience. Notably, microelectrodes are used to locally record neural activity or to perturb circuit function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is widely used to image large-scale patterns of hemodynamic fluctuations accompanying neural activity. Although these techniques have become the workhorse of basic and translational neuroscience, they are mainly employed separately and provide only partial views of brain functions with massively different spatiotemporal resolution and specificity. At present, there is no established way to combine these multimodal and multiscale techniques into a fully integrated system that would allow us to link local neuronal events or modulations to large-scale network activities. The absence of such a system will continue to present significant barriers that impede bridging brain activity across spatial and temporal scales. There is a critical need to develop a novel system that will enable and integrate simultaneous neural imaging, recording and modulation at local and global scales for a variety of neuroscience applications. To meet this critical need, MR-Link LLC, and its partners at Purdue University, propose to develop, test and commercialize a unique (Purdue IP: 67628 & 67330) integrated system for concurrent fMRI, electrical recording and stimulation. Central to this system is a novel microelectronic device, which will be miniaturized, battery-free, and wireless, to enable high-density neural recording and modulation during high-throughput brain scans. It will also eliminate the effects of electromagnetic interference, utilize existing hardware in the MRI system for multimodal capabilities, enable synchronized and concurrent neural recording, stimulation and imaging, and reduce the size and cost of MRI-compatible neural recording or stimulation systems. Thus, the device is well suited for wide commercialization to accelerate neuroscience research in basic and clinical settings. Phase I Specific Aims: 1) Develop the MR-Link devices for neural recording and stimulation, and 2) Test the MR-Link devices with in vivo experiments on rats in 7-T MRI. At the conclusion of Phase I, MR-Link and its research partners at Purdue will have designed and fabricated the device, and also tested the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of using the “MR-Link” for simultaneous in vivo recording, stimulation, and imaging of the rat brain. Phase I will lay the technical foundation for Phase II, in which MR-Link will continue to refine the design for recording and stimulating the human brain, scale up to 256 or 512 recording/stimulation channels, miniaturize the device through nanofabrication, prepare and start mass production for wide dissemination, and partner with major MRI manufacturers to integrate MR-Link devices with all research and clinical MRI systems. MR-Link will supply more affordable, accessible, reliable, and powerful solutions for simultaneous neural imaging, recording, and stimulation in animals and humans, creating a new window of opportunity to transform basic neuroscience research and advance clinical diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders.