MEMS/MST Department, Ikerlan S. Coop., Mondragón, Spain.
Lab Chip. 2013 Apr 7;13(7):1422-30. doi: 10.1039/c3lc41364k.
While novel influential concepts in neuroscience bring the focus to local activities generated within a few tens of cubic micrometers in the brain, we are still devoid of appropriate tools to record and manipulate pharmacologically neuronal activity at this fine scale. Here we designed, fabricated and encapsulated microprobes for simultaneous depth recording and drug delivery using exclusively the polymer SU-8 as structural material. A tetrode- and linear-like electrode patterning was combined for the first time with single and double fluidic microchannels for independent drug delivery. The device was tested experimentally using the in vivo anesthetized rat preparation. Both probe types successfully recorded detailed spatiotemporal features of local field potentials and single-cell activity at a resolution never attained before with integrated fluidic probes. Drug delivery was achieved with high spatial and temporal precision in a range from tens of nanoliters to a few microliters, as confirmed histologically. These technological advancements will foster a wide range of neural applications aimed at simultaneous monitoring of brain activity and delivery at a very precise micrometer scale.
虽然神经科学中的新的有影响力的概念将焦点转移到大脑中几十立方微米内产生的局部活动，但我们仍然缺乏适当的工具来记录和在这个精细尺度上进行药理学控制神经元活动。在这里，我们设计、制造并封装了微探针，仅使用聚合物 SU-8 作为结构材料，用于深度记录和药物输送。首次将四极和线性电极图案与单和双流体微通道结合，用于独立的药物输送。该设备使用体内麻醉大鼠进行了实验测试。这两种探针类型都成功地记录了局部场电位和单细胞活动的详细时空特征，分辨率从未达到过使用集成流体探针的水平。药物输送具有很高的空间和时间精度，范围从几十纳升到几微升，这一点在组织学上得到了证实。这些技术进步将促进广泛的神经应用，旨在以非常精确的微米尺度同时监测大脑活动和输送。
