A novel implant to record brain activity
The information processing ability of the human brain constitutes an astonishing phenomenon and allows us to process stimuli rather than merely respond to external stimuli. The information processing theory is also used by scientists to account for mental development and explain how the human brain matures with time.Most breakthroughs in our understanding of the basic mechanisms of information processing in the brain have been obtained with local field potentials and single neuron recordings. However, this approach has limitations mainly due to the rigid and non-biocompatible nature of the employed probes. With this in mind, the EU-funded 'Multi-sensing polymer transistors for in vivo recording' (MULTISENS) project set out to screen alternative materials for probe functionalisation.A series of conducting polymers were used to construct the probe. The probe was subsequently chemically functionalised with bio-active molecules such as enzymes or extracellular matrix components to promote cell growth. A novel lithographic process was established for essentially patterning microelectrode arrays and high-density organic electrochemical transistor arrays with different materials. The ability of these devices to record neurophysiological activity was verified on brain slices and in cells in culture.Project results were communicated through publications in peer-reviewed journals with a high-impact factor and to the general public through a scientific fair. Although still not at the commercialisation stage, MULTISENS technology has attracted interest from an electrophysiology instrumentation company.
Keywords
Brain activity, information processing, electrode array, probe functionalisation
