Approaches for drug delivery with intracortical probes.

Intracortical microprobes allow the precise monitoring of electrical and chemical signaling and are widely used in neuroscience. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies have greatly enhanced the integration of multifunctional probes by facilitating the combination of multiple recording electrodes and drug delivery channels in a single probe. Depending on the neuroscientific application, various assembly strategies are required in addition to the microprobe fabrication itself. This paper summarizes recent advances in the fabrication and assembly of micromachined silicon probes for drug delivery achieved within the EU-funded research project NeuroProbes. The described fabrication process combines a two-wafer silicon bonding process with deep reactive ion etching, wafer grinding, and thin film patterning and offers a maximum in design flexibility. By applying this process, three general comb-like microprobe designs featuring up to four 8-mm-long shafts, cross sections from 150×200 to 250×250 µm², and different electrode and fluidic channel configurations are realized. Furthermore, we discuss the development and application of different probe assemblies for acute, semichronic, and chronic applications, including comb and array assemblies, floating microprobe arrays, as well as the complete drug delivery system NeuroMedicator for small animal research.

Influence of bio-coatings on the recording performance of neural electrodes.

Neural probes are complex devices consisting of metallic (often Pt based) electrodes, spread over an insolating/dielectric backbone. Their functionality is often limited in time because of the formation of scaring tissues around the implantation tracks. Functionalization of the probes surface can be used to limit the glial scar reaction. This is however challenging, as this treatment has to be equally efficient on all probe surfaces (metallic as well as dielectric) and should not influence the electrodes performances. This paper presents a novel technique to functionalize recording neural probes with hyaluronic acid (HyA), a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). HyA and the probe surface are both modified to make the reaction feasible: HyA is chemically functionalized with SS-pyridine groups while the probe surfaces are silanized. The thiol groups thus introduced on the probe surface can then react with the HyA SS-pyridine group, resulting in a covalent bonding of the latter on the former. The electrodes are protected by introducing a pretreatment step, namely an additional hyaluronic acid layer on the platinum electrode, prior to the silanization process, which was found to be effective in reducing electrode impedance under optimized conditions.

Brain-computer interfaces: an overview of the hardware to record neural signals from the cortex.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) record neural signals from cortical origin with the objective to control a user interface for communication purposes, a robotic artifact or artificial limb as actuator. One of the key components of such a neuroprosthetic system is the neuro-technical interface itself, the electrode array. In this chapter, different designs and manufacturing techniques will be compared and assessed with respect to scaling and assembling limitations. The overview includes electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes and epicortical brain-machine interfaces to record local field potentials (LFPs) from the surface of the cortex as well as intracortical needle electrodes that are intended to record single-unit activity. Two exemplary complementary technologies for micromachining of polyimide-based arrays and laser manufacturing of silicone rubber are presented and discussed with respect to spatial resolution, scaling limitations, and system properties. Advanced silicon micromachining technologies have led to highly sophisticated intracortical electrode arrays for fundamental neuroscientific applications. In this chapter, major approaches from the USA and Europe will be introduced and compared concerning complexity, modularity, and reliability. An assessment of the different technological solutions comparable to a strength weaknesses opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis might serve as guidance to select the adequate electrode array configuration for each control paradigm and strategy to realize robust, fast, and reliable BCIs.

Comparative study on the insertion behavior of cerebral microprobes.

A series of experiments has been conducted with probes made from silicon, glass, tungsten and polyimide within a developed brain phantom, and the insertion behavior, forces and dimpling are compared to in vitro and in vivo models. This allows the choice of proper insertion parameters and probe structure to reach a compromise between needle stability and tissue trauma as a result of insertion. According to the performed experiments, the reduced interfacial area between the needle tip and the brain will result in reduced insertion force. High insertion speed (100 mm/min) reduces the dimpling but not the penetration force necessarily. In vivo insertion and retraction of the fragile probes made from silicon is possible without pia and/or dura removal.