Development of flexible electrode arrays for chronic stable and scalable neural recording

The brain is a massively-interconnected and constantly-evolving network of specialized circuits; a systematic understanding of the circuits requires a probe-tissue interface that can record and modulate brain activities at diverse spatial and temporal scales. Implanted electrodes provide a unique approach to decipher brain circuitry by allowing for time-resolved electrical detection of individual neuron activity. However, conventional intracortical recordings are often sparse, and importantly, unstable over long term. These pose limitations on their scientific and clinical applications. Through the use of less-rigid polymer materials and the ten-to-a-hundred fold reduction on probe size, the flexibility of a neural probe can be improved by four orders of magnitude, which results in a friendly probe-tissue interfaces, long-term recording performance, and greater potential for scaling up in implantation density. Here we present our progress on the development of a novel neural recording platform including 1. A stable neural interface named nanoelectronic threads (NETs) which demonstrated long-term stable recording over four months, seamless chronic probe-tissue integration and easy compatibility with optical imaging. 2. A facile implantation method to apply the flexible NETs in scalable, reliable neural recording in rodent brain. 3. A dense and high-bandwidth NET platform towards volumetric mapping and large-scale distributed recordings in the neocortex and subcortical structures, and 4. A low-cost and versatile multifunctional neural probe platform to achieve optogenetic stimulation and controlled drug infusion with simultaneous, spatially resolved neural recording. These capabilities will drive new long-term studies of brain circuits across different spatiotemporal dimensions and modalitiesBiomedical Engineerin