Transparent implant takes deep neural recordings from surface of brain

Researchers have developed a neural implant that provides information about activity deep inside the brain from the brain’s surface.

When placed on the surface of the brain, this thin, flexible implant enables researchers to capture high-resolution information about neural activity deep inside the brain without damaging its delicate tissue
When placed on the surface of the brain, this thin, flexible implant enables researchers to capture high-resolution information about neural activity deep inside the brain without damaging its delicate tissue - David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering

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.

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