CAREER: Nanopillar Electrode Arrays for Highly Sensitive Detection of Neuroelectric Activities

职业：神经电活动高灵敏度检测的纳米柱电极阵列摘要：神经元通过电信号编码信息。 为了理解神经元网络中的信息处理和存储，最重要的策略之一是准确记录单个神经元随时间产生的小电信号。 然而，与小神经电活动的敏感和非侵入性检测相关的挑战阻碍了更好地理解这一复杂过程的努力。 细胞内记录在检测微小的神经电信号方面非常敏感，但它具有高度侵入性，并对细胞膜造成严重损伤。 另一方面，细胞外记录是非侵入性的，并且在测量大量神经元方面非常强大，但是它具有差的信噪比并且无法检测小的突触神经电电位。 本计画将开发一种新颖的电感测器-奈米柱电极阵列，以高灵敏度及非侵入性的方式记录神经电活动。 从平坦表面突出的纳米柱将增强神经元和记录电极之间的电耦合。 新的传感器将提高两个数量级的检测灵敏度比目前的细胞外记录技术。 具有高灵敏度、非侵入性和同时多细胞记录的综合优势，该集成设备将使新的研究能够理解网络中神经元如何在空间和时间上协调活动的机制，以及这些活动如何编码外部信息。拟议的研究重点是开发灵敏的仪器，以便于定量测量神经元中的信号传播。网络. 该建议的教育部分补充了研究目标（1）将仪器仪表的基本原理在本科实验室课程，（2）介绍研究写作和演示技巧，本科实验室报告，（3）辅导贫困高中学生在研究实验室。

CAREER: Nanopillar Electrode Arrays for Highly Sensitive Detection of Neuroelectric ActivitiesAbstract: Neurons encode information by electrical signals. To understand information processing and storage in neuronal networks, one of the most important tactics is to accurately record the small electrical signals generated by individual neurons over time. However, challenges associated with sensitive and noninvasive detection of small neuroelectric activities have hampered the effort for a better understanding of this complex process. Intracellular recording is very sensitive in detecting minuscule neuroelectric signals, but it is highly invasive and causes severe damage to the cell membrane. On the other hand, extracellular recording is non-invasive and very powerful in measuring large numbers of neurons, but it suffers poor signal-to-noise ratio and is unable to detect small synaptic neuroelectric potentials. This project will develop a novel electrical sensor -- nanopillar electrode arrays -- for highly-sensitive and non-invasive recording of neuroelectric activities. Nanopillars protruding from the planar surface will enhance the electric coupling between the neuron and the recording electrode. The new sensor will improve the detection sensitivity by two-orders of magnitude over the current extracellular recording technique. With the combined advantages of high sensitivity, non-invasiveness, and simultaneous multi-cell recording, the integrated device will enable new studies aimed to understand the mechanisms that govern how neurons in a network coordinate their activities in space and time and how those activities might encode external information.The proposed research focuses on developing sensitive instrument to facilitate the quantitative measurements of signal propagation in neuronal networks. The education component of this proposal complements the research goal in (1) incorporating instrumentation fundamentals in an undergraduate laboratory course, (2) introducing research writing and presentation skills to undergraduate lab reports, and (3) mentoring under-privileged high school students in the research laboratory.