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Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chiang, C-H; Wang, C; Barth, K; Rahimpour, S; Trumpis, M; Duraivel, S; Rachinskiy, I; Dubey, A; Wingel, KE; Wong, M; Witham, NS; Odell, T ...
Published in: J Neural Eng
June 17, 2021

Objective.Brain functions such as perception, motor control, learning, and memory arise from the coordinated activity of neuronal assemblies distributed across multiple brain regions. While major progress has been made in understanding the function of individual neurons, circuit interactions remain poorly understood. A fundamental obstacle to deciphering circuit interactions is the limited availability of research tools to observe and manipulate the activity of large, distributed neuronal populations in humans. Here we describe the development, validation, and dissemination of flexible, high-resolution, thin-film (TF) electrodes for recording neural activity in animals and humans.Approach.We leveraged standard flexible printed-circuit manufacturing processes to build high-resolution TF electrode arrays. We used biocompatible materials to form the substrate (liquid crystal polymer; LCP), metals (Au, PtIr, and Pd), molding (medical-grade silicone), and 3D-printed housing (nylon). We designed a custom, miniaturized, digitizing headstage to reduce the number of cables required to connect to the acquisition system and reduce the distance between the electrodes and the amplifiers. A custom mechanical system enabled the electrodes and headstages to be pre-assembled prior to sterilization, minimizing the setup time required in the operating room. PtIr electrode coatings lowered impedance and enabled stimulation. High-volume, commercial manufacturing enables cost-effective production of LCP-TF electrodes in large quantities.Main Results. Our LCP-TF arrays achieve 25× higher electrode density, 20× higher channel count, and 11× reduced stiffness than conventional clinical electrodes. We validated our LCP-TF electrodes in multiple human intraoperative recording sessions and have disseminated this technology to >10 research groups. Using these arrays, we have observed high-frequency neural activity with sub-millimeter resolution.Significance.Our LCP-TF electrodes will advance human neuroscience research and improve clinical care by enabling broad access to transformative, high-resolution electrode arrays.

Duke Scholars

Published In

J Neural Eng

DOI

EISSN

1741-2552

Publication Date

June 17, 2021

Volume

18

Issue

4

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurons
  • Humans
  • Electrodes, Implanted
  • Electrodes
  • Electric Impedance
  • Brain
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Animals
  • 4003 Biomedical engineering
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Chiang, C.-H., Wang, C., Barth, K., Rahimpour, S., Trumpis, M., Duraivel, S., … Viventi, J. (2021). Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research. J Neural Eng, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ac02dc
Chiang, Chia-Han, Charles Wang, Katrina Barth, Shervin Rahimpour, Michael Trumpis, Suseendrakumar Duraivel, Iakov Rachinskiy, et al. “Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research.J Neural Eng 18, no. 4 (June 17, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ac02dc.
Chiang C-H, Wang C, Barth K, Rahimpour S, Trumpis M, Duraivel S, et al. Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research. J Neural Eng. 2021 Jun 17;18(4).
Chiang, Chia-Han, et al. “Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research.J Neural Eng, vol. 18, no. 4, June 2021. Pubmed, doi:10.1088/1741-2552/ac02dc.
Chiang C-H, Wang C, Barth K, Rahimpour S, Trumpis M, Duraivel S, Rachinskiy I, Dubey A, Wingel KE, Wong M, Witham NS, Odell T, Woods V, Bent B, Doyle W, Friedman D, Bihler E, Reiche CF, Southwell DG, Haglund MM, Friedman AH, Lad SP, Devore S, Devinsky O, Solzbacher F, Pesaran B, Cogan G, Viventi J. Flexible, high-resolution thin-film electrodes for human and animal neural research. J Neural Eng. 2021 Jun 17;18(4).
Journal cover image

Published In

J Neural Eng

DOI

EISSN

1741-2552

Publication Date

June 17, 2021

Volume

18

Issue

4

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurons
  • Humans
  • Electrodes, Implanted
  • Electrodes
  • Electric Impedance
  • Brain
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Animals
  • 4003 Biomedical engineering