A mosquito mouthpart-like bionic neural probe

Yu Zhou; Huiran Yang; Xueying Wang; Heng Yang; Ke Sun; Zhitao Zhou; Liuyang Sun; Jianlong Zhao; Tiger H Tao; Xiaoling Wei

doi:10.1038/s41378-023-00565-5

A mosquito mouthpart-like bionic neural probe

Microsyst Nanoeng. 2023 Jul 12:9:88. doi: 10.1038/s41378-023-00565-5. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yu Zhou^{1

2}, Huiran Yang^{1

2}, Xueying Wang^{1

2}, Heng Yang^{1

2}, Ke Sun^{1

2}, Zhitao Zhou^{1

2}, Liuyang Sun^{1

2

3}, Jianlong Zhao^{1

2}, Tiger H Tao^{1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8}, Xiaoling Wei^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China.
² School of Graduate Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China.
³ 2020 X-Lab, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200050 Shanghai, China.
⁴ Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China.
⁵ Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China.
⁶ Neuroxess Co., Ltd. (Jiangxi), 330029 Nanchang, Jiangxi China.
⁷ Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, 519031 Zhuhai, Guangdong China.
⁸ Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Translational Research, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Advancements in microscale electrode technology have revolutionized the field of neuroscience and clinical applications by offering high temporal and spatial resolution of recording and stimulation. Flexible neural probes, with their mechanical compliance to brain tissue, have been shown to be superior to rigid devices in terms of stability and longevity in chronic recordings. Shuttle devices are commonly used to assist flexible probe implantation; however, the protective membrane of the brain still makes penetration difficult. Hidden damage to brain vessels during implantation is a significant risk. Inspired by the anatomy of the mosquito mouthparts, we present a biomimetic neuroprobe system that integrates high-sensitivity sensors with a high-fidelity multichannel flexible electrode array. This customizable system achieves distributed and minimally invasive implantation across brain regions. Most importantly, the system's nonvisual monitoring capability provides an early warning detection for intracranial soft tissues, such as vessels, reducing the potential for injury during implantation. The neural probe system demonstrates exceptional sensitivity and adaptability to environmental stimuli, as well as outstanding performance in postoperative and chronic recordings. These findings suggest that our biomimetic neural-probe device offers promising potential for future applications in neuroscience and brain-machine interfaces. A mosquito mouthpart-like bionic neural probe consisting of a highly sensitive tactile sensor module, a flexible microelectrode array, and implanted modules that mimic the structure of mosquito mouthparts. The system enables distributed implantation of electrode arrays across multiple brain regions while making the implantation minimally invasive and avoiding additional dural removal. The tactile sensor array can monitor the implantation process to achieve early warning of vascular damage. The excellent postoperative short-term recording performance and long-term neural activity tracking ability demonstrate that the system is a promising tool in the field of brain-computer interfaces.

Keywords: Biosensors; Electrical and electronic engineering.