Transparent arrays of bilayer-nanomesh microelectrodes for simultaneous electrophysiology and two-photon imaging in the brain

Sci Adv. 2018 Sep 5;4(9):eaat0626. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat0626. eCollection 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Transparent microelectrode arrays have emerged as increasingly important tools for neuroscience by allowing simultaneous coupling of big and time-resolved electrophysiology data with optically measured, spatially and type resolved single neuron activity. Scaling down transparent electrodes to the length scale of a single neuron is challenging since conventional transparent conductors are limited by their capacitive electrode/electrolyte interface. In this study, we establish transparent microelectrode arrays with high performance, great biocompatibility, and comprehensive in vivo validations from a recently developed, bilayer-nanomesh material composite, where a metal layer and a low-impedance faradaic interfacial layer are stacked reliably together in a same transparent nanomesh pattern. Specifically, flexible arrays from 32 bilayer-nanomesh microelectrodes demonstrated near-unity yield with high uniformity, excellent biocompatibility, and great compatibility with state-of-the-art wireless recording and real-time artifact rejection system. The electrodes are highly scalable, with 130 kilohms at 1 kHz at 20 μm in diameter, comparable to the performance of microelectrodes in nontransparent Michigan arrays. The highly transparent, bilayer-nanomesh microelectrode arrays allowed in vivo two-photon imaging of single neurons in layer 2/3 of the visual cortex of awake mice, along with high-fidelity, simultaneous electrical recordings of visual-evoked activity, both in the multi-unit activity band and at lower frequencies by measuring the visual-evoked potential in the time domain. Together, these advances reveal the great potential of transparent arrays from bilayer-nanomesh microelectrodes for a broad range of utility in neuroscience and medical practices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Calcium / analysis
  • Dielectric Spectroscopy / instrumentation
  • Dielectric Spectroscopy / methods
  • Electrodes, Implanted
  • Electrophysiology / instrumentation*
  • Electrophysiology / methods
  • Gold / chemistry
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Microelectrodes*
  • Molecular Imaging
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Photons
  • Polystyrenes / chemistry
  • Thiophenes / chemistry
  • Visual Cortex / diagnostic imaging
  • Visual Cortex / physiology
  • Wireless Technology

Substances

  • Polystyrenes
  • Thiophenes
  • poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)
  • Gold
  • Calcium