Ultrasmall Implantable Composite Microelectrodes with Bioactive Surfaces for Chronic Neural Interfaces

Overview

Journal Nat Mater

Date 2012 Nov 13

PMID 23142839

Citations 246

Authors

Takashi D Yoshida Kozai

Nicholas B Langhals

Paras R Patel

Xiaopei Deng

Huanan Zhang

Karen L Smith

Joerg Lahann

Nicholas A Kotov

Daryl R Kipke

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Implantable neural microelectrodes that can record extracellular biopotentials from small, targeted groups of neurons are critical for neuroscience research and emerging clinical applications including brain-controlled prosthetic devices. The crucial material-dependent problem is developing microelectrodes that record neural activity from the same neurons for years with high fidelity and reliability. Here, we report the development of an integrated composite electrode consisting of a carbon-fibre core, a poly(p-xylylene)-based thin-film coating that acts as a dielectric barrier and that is functionalized to control intrinsic biological processes, and a poly(thiophene)-based recording pad. The resulting implants are an order of magnitude smaller than traditional recording electrodes, and more mechanically compliant with brain tissue. They were found to elicit much reduced chronic reactive tissue responses and enabled single-neuron recording in acute and early chronic experiments in rats. This technology, taking advantage of new composites, makes possible highly selective and stealthy neural interface devices towards realizing long-lasting implants.

Citing Articles

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