Wireless Neurosensor for Full-Spectrum Electrophysiology Recordings during Free Behavior

Abstract

Brain recordings in large animal models and humans typically rely on a tethered connection, which has restricted the spectrum of accessible experimental and clinical applications. To overcome this limitation, we have engineered a compact, lightweight, high data rate wireless neurosensor capable of recording the full spectrum of electrophysiological signals from the cortex of mobile subjects. The wireless communication system exploits a spatially distributed network of synchronized receivers that is scalable to hundreds of channels and vast environments. To demonstrate the versatility of our wireless neurosensor, we monitored cortical neuron populations in freely behaving nonhuman primates during natural locomotion and sleep-wake transitions in ecologically equivalent settings. The interface is electrically safe and compatible with the majority of existing neural probes, which may support previously inaccessible experimental and clinical research.

Spiking Neural Networks Based on OxRAM Synapses for Real-Time Unsupervised Spike Sorting

“…Nowadays, they consist of hundreds or thousands of microelectrodes that allow recording the activity of large neural ensembles and especially spikes (action potentials) generated by the surrounding single cells (see Figure 1B). These technologies generate massive data due to sampling rates of typically 20–40 kHz that have to be processed for further use and/or wireless transmission (Yin et al, 2014). Spike sorting is a key technique to drastically reduce the amount of data by extracting relevant information as how many cells are active and the different instants at which they fire (Abeles and Goldstein, 1977).…”

Transparent intracortical microprobe array for simultaneous spatiotemporal optical stimulation and multichannel electrical recording

“…Here we chose an MOA geometry that mimicked the optically opaque Utah intracortical microelectrode array (MEA; Blackrock) widely used for recording neural-population activity in rodents and nonhuman primates, with recent extension to human clinical trials 25,26 . Such MEA devices have recently been integrated with wireless approaches in our laboratory [27][28][29] , which influenced our choice of geometry for the MOAs for compatibility.…”

State-of-the-art MEMS and microsystem tools for brain research

“…This approach provides robust mechanical properties that have made it very popular in primate research [51][52][53][54] . This silicon electrode platform has been the basis for successful human trials using a brain machine interface [55][56][57] and has been adapted by several groups for wireless integration [58][59][60] .…”