Development of a high-density wireless ECoG device for neuroscience research

在这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）提案中，Cortera Neurotechnologies旨在开发一种用于神经系统疾病动物模型长期神经活动记录的微系统。现有的神经记录设备需要电线供电和通信，并且使用穿透电极阵列，这会造成疤痕，并将记录寿命限制在几个月以内。我们的设备将记录皮质电图（ECoG）信号，这些信号来自放置在皮质表面的非穿透电极，并将其无线传输到外部读取器。今天，ECoG阵列在临床上用于癫痫手术前定位发作病灶。最近，研究人员对神经科学研究的ECoG记录越来越感兴趣，因为它允许访问人类大脑的记录。商业ECoG网格可以记录2-4mm的空间分辨率。我们正在开发一种空间分辨率高于500米的无线高密度微米级ECoG（¿ECoG）网格，以便对所有可用信息进行采样，避免感染，并在自由行为、不受束缚的受试者身上进行一系列新颖的实验。我们提出的设备利用了最近的发现，在三个不同的方面取代了当前的艺术状态：1。该系统的无线功能将使神经科学家从对拴着的动物进行行为实验的需要中解放出来，并允许他们与松散受限的动物一起工作，从而使新的实验受益于连续的神经记录和不受限制的动物运动。手术部位的闭合可以防止感染并增加神经记录的稳定性。应用于临床，无线设备将恢复病人的自主权，并大大降低感染的风险。2. 在该系统中使用非穿透性ECoG电极将大大降低成本

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Title Development of a high-density wireless ECoG device for neuroscience research Project Summary In this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal, Cortera Neurotechnologies aims to develop a microsystem for long-term neural activity recording in animal models of neurological disease. Existing neural recording devices require wires for powering and communication, and use penetrating electrode arrays that cause scarring and limit recording longevity to a few months. Our device will record electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals from non-penetrating electrodes placed on the surface of the cortex and relay them wirelessly to an external reader. Today, ECoG arrays are used clinically to localize the seizure focus before epilepsy surgery. Recently, researchers have become increasingly interested in ECoG recordings for neuroscience research since it allows access to recordings from human brains. Commercial ECoG grids enable recordings with spatial resolutions of 2-4mm. We are developing a wireless high-density micrometer-scale ECoG (¿ECoG) grid with spatial resolution higher than 500m in order to sample all available information, avoid infection and enable a battery of novel experiments on freely-behaving, untethered subjects. The device we propose takes advantage of recent findings to supersede current state-of the art on three different aspects: 1. The wireless functionality of this system will liberate neuroscientists from the need to perform behavioral experiments on tethered animals, and allow them to work with loosely confined animals enabling novel experiments that benefit from continuous neural recordings and unrestricted animal locomotion. Closure of the surgical site will prevent infections and increase the stability of the neural recordings. Translatd into the clinic, a wireless device will restore patient autonomy in addition to greatly reducing th risk of infection. 2. The use of non-penetrating ECoG electrodes in this system will substantially reduce the amount of scarring and other forms of tissue immune response, providing stable neural signals for multiple years as opposed to the few months of current practice. 3. Our system uses polymer-based micro-fabricated ECoG electrodes that are up to 400 times denser than current state of the art. These electrodes allow researchers to sample neural signals with a spatial resolution comparable to penetrating electrodes, while increasing the longevity by orders of magnitude. The use of a flexible assembly further allows the device to conform to the brain surface. With the advantages highlighted above, we hypothesize that this device can become the new standard instrument for chronic neural recordings in animals and eventually reach applications in the clinical human market.