Developed a revolutionary neural probe
Researchers in Europe have developed a new neural probe that allows recording and electrical and chemical stimulation of single neurons in the brain.
Researchers in Europe have developed a new neural probe that allows recording and electrical and chemical stimulation of single neurons in the brain. They claim that this technology has tremendous potential and could be used, for example, to make more precise diagnosis of cerebral convulsions before surgery on the brain. This probe is one of the leading results of the project NEUROPROBES (“Development of multifunctional MICROPROBE arrays for cerebral applications”), which drew almost 10 million in funding under the ‘Information Society Technologies ” (IST) Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) of the EU.
According to the researchers, to date, the multi-electrode sensors for registration have been trial and error, since it is not mechanically possible to optimize the position of the electrodes independently of each other. They pointed out that in order to distinguish individual neurons in the brain, the recording electrodes should be placed very close to the neuron, ideally within 100 micrometers or less.
The team, led by researchers at IMEC, a Belgian company specializing in research on nanoelectronics, said that the new technology Electronic Depth Control (EDC) is different from previous probes because it allows individual adjustment of the position of the different electrodes without the need for mechanical movements.
They explained that the EDC has hundreds of neural probe electrodes to the electronic control that allows users to examine the neural signals in search of the most informative to focus on these, and eventually change the position of the electrodes during the course of a experiment.
Scientists believe that applications of neural probe is wide: ranging from tools for basic research on brain function, tools for more precise diagnosis of cerebral convulsions first surgery on the brain. They stressed that this technology will help improve the work currently underway and will open the doors to dozens of new anticipated by research. In addition to fundamental research on the brain, one of the principal roles for the EDC technology will be the preoperative diagnosis in surgery of the brain for a variety of diseases.
“For example, it is known that similar probes have been used for decades to find the center point of a seizure,” said Herc Neves, IMEC scientist and project coordinator NEUROPROBES. “You have a patient who is being operated, and you want to remove as little tissue as possible. Pinpoint the exact location where the seizure is generated, only that tissue is removed, and this allows surgery safer and less invasive.”
The team at IMEC has been helped in his research by scientists working at academic institutions across Europe, including the University of Leuven in Belgium, the University of Cambridge in the UK and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and leading figures industry such as electronics giant Philips and the company’s solutions for hearing in the United Kingdom Cochlear Technology Centre.
NEUROPROBES The consortium consists of 14 partners who carry out research aimed at developing a system platform that will enable a wide range of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic measures for treatment and scientific understanding of brain systems and related diseases. The project results will lead to a new era of working in the field of basic research, scientific and clinical brain, with special attention to the recovery of vision in patients with severe blindness.
