Electro-optical mechanically flexible coaxial microprobes for minimally invasive interfacing with intrinsic neural circuits

Abstract

Central to advancing our understanding of neural circuits is developing minimally invasive, multi-modal interfaces capable of simultaneously recording and modulating neural activity. Recent devices have focused on matching the mechanical compliance of tissue to reduce inflammatory responses. However, reductions in the size of multi-modal interfaces are needed to further improve biocompatibility and long-term recording capabilities. Here a multi-modal coaxial microprobe design with a minimally invasive footprint (8–14 µm diameter over millimeter lengths) that enables efficient electrical and optical interrogation of neural networks is presented. In the brain, the probes allowed robust electrical measurement and optogenetic stimulation. Scalable fabrication strategies can be used with various electrical and optical materials, making the probes highly customizable to experimental requirements, including length, diameter, and mechanical properties. Given their negligible inflammatory response, these probes promise to enable a new generation of readily tunable multi-modal devices for long-term, minimally invasive interfacing with neural circuits.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 07, 2022
Source ID
10.1038/s41467-022-30275-x

Entities

People

  • Axel Nimmerjahn
  • Conor Riley
  • Donald Sirbuly
  • Erin M. Carey
  • Jenny Nguyen
  • Sadik Esener
  • Spencer Ward

Organizations

  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Department of Defense
  • United States Department of Health and Human Services

Tags

Readers

  • Integrated Circuit Design and Technology.
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.
  • Neuroscience

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML