Commercialization of integrated electrode-electronics system for large scale, long-lasting electrophysiology

项目总结 研究行为是如何从大脑复杂的相互关联的活动中产生的 神经科学研究的基石。神经技术的最新技术进步是 能够在啮齿动物身上研究数千个神经元的平行活动 大脑。神经像素探头，允许观察384个通道的电生理数据 现在是下一代实验的宝贵工具。这个项目的一个目标是 为神经像素探头和相关电子设备提供商业替代产品 在记录能力上实现功能对等，但目前也可用于科学应用 没有被现有的神经像素探测器解决。我们建议的解决方案部分由 NeuroPixles探头的制造商-IMEC最近已将 作为独立的384通道芯片的探头的电子学，没有硅电极 附在这里。通过将这项经过验证的技术连接到一种新型的电极阵列--柔性 基于聚酰亚胺的探头-我们概述了提供具有相似通道密度的技术的策略 即1)在插入时防止断裂，2)实现紧密间隔的植入部位， 和3)与硅探针相比，胶质瘢痕显著减少，使 几个月来的稳定录音。此外，通过将该探测器与强大的数据记录相结合 电子，我们将提供一种方法，将通道数量扩展到3000以上，而不需要电缆 在动物和电脑之间。

PROJECT SUMMARY Examining how behavior arises from the complex interconnected activity of the brain is a cornerstone of neuroscience research. A recent technological advance in neurotechnology is enabling studies where the parallel activity of thousands of neurons can be studied in rodent brains. The Neuropixels probe, allowing 384 channels of electrophysiological data to be observed from the brain, is now a valuable tool for next-generation experiments. One goal of this project is to provide a commercial alternative to the Neuropixels probe and associated electronics that will enable feature parity in recording capability, but also be usable in scientific applications currently unaddressed by the existing Neuropixels probe. Our proposed solution is partially enabled by the makers of the Neuropixles probes—IMEC has recently made commercially available the electronics of the probes as a standalone 384 channel chip without the silicon electrodes attached. By connecting this proven technology to a new type of electrode array—flexible polyimide-based probes—we outline a strategy to offer technology with similar channel density that is 1) is resistant to breakage upon insertion, 2) enables closely-spaced implantation sites, and 3) has a significant reduction in glial scarring compared to silicon probes, enabling extremely stable recordings for months. Furthermore, by coupling this probe to powerful datalogging electronics, we will offer a way to scale channel counts to above 3000 without the need for cables between the animal and a computer.