ABSTRACT
High extracellular potassium can induce spreading depression-like depolarizations, elevations of extracellular glutamate and even neuronal death in normal brain. To investigate the contribution of high potassium in vivo, a microelectrode arrays ( MEAs ) probe integrated with recording sites for glutamate concentration (50í150 μm) and local field potential ( LFP) ( diameter=15 μm) was fabricated by Micro-electro-mechanical-systems ( MEMS) technologies. We implanted the MEA probe acutely in the rat brain and exposed the brain to a high potassium solution. During these multi-modal recordings, it was observed that high potassium elevated extracellular glutamate while suppressing the LFP irreversibly. This is one of the first studies in which a dual mode MEA probes is applied in vivo for neuronal death, and it is concluded that our MEA probes are capable of examining specific spatiotemporal relationships between electrical and chemical signaling in the brain.