IntroductionTechnological advances in neural interfaces are providing increasingly more powerful "toolkits" of designs, materials, components, and integrated devices for establishing high-fidelity chronic neural interfaces. For a broad class of neuroscience studies, the primary requirements of these interfaces include recording and/or stimulating from a number of discretely sampled volumes at requisite spatial resolutions for specific periods of time. Translational and clinical applications present additional requirements for safety, usability, reliability, patient acceptance, and cost effectiveness. Innovative solutions result from the constructive tension between ever-increasing application requirements and incorporation of technological advances into usable devices. The purpose of this minireview is to present snapshots of the current state-of-the-art in chronic, microscale neural interfaces by highlighting several leading neuroscience applications and discussing their implications for next-generation interface devices.