State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Biosens Bioelectron. 2012 Oct-Dec;38(1):416-20. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2012.05.011. Epub 2012 May 17.
The communication between neurons is inherently electrical and chemical in nature. In situ, simultaneous acquisition for the dual mode signals is important for neuroscience research. In this paper, the concept of dual mode neural microelectrode array (MEA) sensor was proposed, and a low cost thin film MEA chip for in vitro test was fabricated using standard lithography technology. The sensor incorporates arrayed microelectrodes, a counter electrode and a reference electrode on one glass slide, which is suitable for electrophysiological and electrochemical recording in vitro. Electrophysiological recordings were carried out on acute hippocampus slice. Local field potentials and three different spike firing patterns with the amplitude ranging from ± 20 μV to ± 60 μV were acquired by the arrayed microelectrodes. Electrochemical current response of the microelectrodes to calibrated dopamine solution was tested. A good linear relationship between the current and dopamine concentration was observed, with the detection sensitivity of 4671 μA mM(-1)cm(-2) and a correlation coefficient of 0.986. The sensor is novel for its capability of detecting in vitro dual mode neural signals on one single chip.
神经元之间的通讯本质上是电和化学的。在原位，同时获取双模态信号对于神经科学研究很重要。本文提出了双模态神经微电极阵列（MEA）传感器的概念，并使用标准光刻技术制造了用于体外测试的低成本薄膜 MEA 芯片。该传感器在一个玻璃载玻片上集成了微电极阵列、对电极和参考电极，适用于体外电生理和电化学记录。在急性海马切片上进行了电生理记录。通过微电极阵列获得了局部场电位和三种不同幅度在±20 μV 到±60 μV 之间的尖峰放电模式。测试了微电极对校准多巴胺溶液的电化学电流响应。观察到电流与多巴胺浓度之间存在良好的线性关系，检测灵敏度为 4671 μA mM(-1)cm(-2)，相关系数为 0.986。该传感器在一个单芯片上同时检测体外双模态神经信号的能力使其具有创新性。
