Listening to Neurons: progresses in neuron-electrode interfacing

The technology for fabricating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) has existed since the 1970s and extracellular electrophysiological recordings become well established in neuroscience, drug screening and cardiology. The arrays allow probing physiological and pathological spiking activity of large ensembles of excitable cells, under highly controlled physico-chemical conditions and noninvasively, with high temporal resolution. A number of laboratories worldwide are nonetheless active to search for alternatives and ways to increase performance and capabilities of these devices.
In this talk, I will first introduce and motivate the research field of neuroprosthetics and brain pacemakers, and why advances in the interfacing technologies and materials of MEAs are pivotal.
I will then present recent progress in the fabrication and in vitro experimental validation of MEAs with the best-reported combination of small size and low electrochemical impedance and finally review some earlier results combining nanostructured materials as scaffolding and interfaces.
With increasingly simpler fabrication processes and wide availability of nanomaterials providers, these steps are suggesting an exciting future for the study of neuronal networks in vitro and in vivo.