EnerCage: A Scalable Array of Intelligent Wireless Sensor Modules to Energize and

描述(申请人提供)：神经科学的一个主要目标是研究动物神经系统的功能组织，以产生最终将有助于预防、诊断和治疗人类大脑疾病和功能障碍的知识。活体电生理学(在活体动物受试者中)是追求这一目标的有力工具。它提供了从初级视觉皮质的组织到工作记忆的神经关联等领域的突破性信息，这有助于治疗从精神分裂症到癫痫再到抑郁症的各种疾病。它还帮助评估了新药和神经假体设备转译研究中的各种干预措施。许多实验问题，特别是在行为神经科学中，需要唤醒自由移动的受试者，而后勤限制，如成本、寿命和住房问题，往往需要使用啮齿动物等小动物。这种方法的技术挑战集中在如何在较长时间内记录高质量的神经信号，同时允许小动物移动而不受约束或记录电缆的阻碍，也不受电池供电的无线记录仪器的重量和尺寸的影响。目前的提案描述了旨在开发和测试一种新技术以克服这些挑战的研究。特别是，我们建议开发一种新型的感应供电无线电生理数据采集系统，称为EnerCage，它不仅可以无线采集和传输神经信号，还可以无线接收能量。因此，它允许在大而完全封闭的实验场进行长达数小时的多声道录制，类似于啮齿动物的自然栖息地。大多数无线数据采集解决方案使用电池为动物携带的电子设备供电，这就需要在实验持续时间和动物可以携带的重量之间达成妥协。因此，大多数研究人员放弃了无线数据采集系统的众多好处，转而使用通过电缆将行为正常的动物与电生理仪器捆绑在一起的系统。这些电缆的使用大大限制了重量、动物可以穿越的范围、对噪音、运动伪影的敏感性，以及需要昂贵的换向器来消除缠绕和扭曲。另一方面，EnerCage系统将提供关键优势，包括1)大幅减少动物应支持的前台的重量和大小，2)感应供电发射器无限制的操作时间，3)动物可以穿越的可扩展区域，以及4)精确监控固定在动物前台上的磁性跟踪器的3-D位置和方向，这不要求动物处于视线内。 与公共健康相关：我们建议开发一种新型的感应供电无线电生理数据采集系统，该系统不仅可以无线采集和传输神经信号，还可以无线接收电力。因此，它允许在大型和完全封闭的实验场(类似于啮齿动物的自然栖息地)中在动物身上携带电池，从而允许进行多个小时的多通道记录。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A major goal of neuroscience is to study the functional organization of the nervous system in animals to generate the knowledge that will eventually aid in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and dysfunction in the human brain. In vivo electrophysiology (in live animal subjects) has been a powerful tool in pursuing that goal. It has provided groundbreaking information on areas ranging from the organization of primary visual cortex to neural correlates of working memory, which has helped in the treatment of disorders ranging from schizophrenia to epilepsy to depression. It has also helped in evaluation of various interventions in translational research on new medications and neuroprosthetic devices. Many experimental questions, particularly in behavioral neuroscience, require awaken freely moving subjects, and logistical constraints such as issues of cost, life-span, and housing often necessitate using small animals such as rodents. The technical challenges to this approach center on finding ways to record high quality neural signals for extended periods, while allowing small animals to move unencumbered by restraints or recording cables and unburdened by the weight and size of the battery-powered wireless recording instrumentation. The current proposal describes research which aim is to develop and test a new technology to overcome these challenges. In particular, we propose to develop a new inductively-powered wireless electrophysiological data acquisition system, called the EnerCage, which not only acquires and transmits neural signals wirelessly but also receives power wirelessly. Therefore it permits multichannel recordings for many hours in large and completely enclosed experimental arenas, similar to rodents' natural habitat. Most wireless data acquisition solutions use batteries to power the electronics carried by the animal, which necessitates a compromise between the duration of the experiments and the weight that the animal can carry. As a result, most researchers forgo the numerous benefits of wireless data acquisition systems and use systems that tether behaving animals to electrophysiology instrumentation through cables. The use of these cables results in substantial limitations on weight, the range over which an animal can traverse, susceptibility to noise, motion artifacts, and the need for expensive commutators to eliminate tangling and twisting. The EnerCage system, on the other hand, will offer key advantages including 1) a substantial reduction in the weight and size of the headstage that should be supported by the animal, 2) an unlimited operating time of the inductively powered transmitter, 3) an extendable area over which the animal can traverse, and 4) accurate monitoring of the 3-D position and orientation of a magnetic tracer affixed to the animal's headstage, which does not require the animal to be in the line of sight. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We propose to develop a new inductively-powered wireless electrophysiological data acquisition system, which not only acquires and transmits neural signals wirelessly but also receives power wirelessly. Therefore it permits multichannel recordings for many hours by eliminating the need for carrying batteries on the animal body in large and completely enclosed experimental arenas, similar to rodents' natural habitat.