Transparent implant takes deep neural recordings from surface of brain

The implant is made up of a polymer strip containing a dense array of graphene electrodes. The technology brings the researchers a step closer to building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that provides high-resolution data about deep neural activity by using recordings from the brain surface. The work by researchers at the University of California San Diego has been published in Nature Nanotechnology.

In a statement, senior author Duygu Kuzum said: “We are expanding the spatial reach of neural recordings with this technology. Even though our implant resides on the brain’s surface, its design goes beyond the limits of physical sensing in that it can infer neural activity from deeper layers.”

Existing surface arrays are minimally invasive but lack the ability to capture information beyond the brain’s outer layers. In contrast, electrode arrays with thin needles that penetrate the brain can probe deeper layers, but can lead to inflammation and scarring that eventually compromises signal quality.