Construction of simple, customised, brain-spanning, multi-channel, linear microelectrode arrays

Banstola, Ashik; Silva, Carlos; Ulrich, Katharina; Ruan, Ming; Robertson, Lindsay; McNaughton, Neil

doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.109011

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Besides handling and placement, the soldering of the microwires was another labor-intensive and time-consuming step during the MEA fabrication. Worse yet, some microwire materials, such as stainless steel and tungsten, had nonoptimal solderability and would usually require extra steps of surface cleaning, pre-plating, pre-tinning, or specialized soldering [ 24 , 33 , 34 ]. To overcome these challenges, the conductive silver epoxy (EPO-TEK H20E by Epoxy Technology Inc., Billerica, MA, USA) was applied using a sewing needle to create the electrical connections between the microwires and the PCB gold pads ( Figure 5 e).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-Based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

Hartner

Ung

et al. 2022

Bioengineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microwire microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been a popular low-cost tool for chronic electrophysiological recordings and are an inexpensive means to record the electrical dynamics crucial to brain function. However, both the fabrication and implantation procedures for multi-MEAs on a single rodent are time-consuming and the accuracy and quality are highly manual skill-dependent. To address the fabrication and implantation challenges for microwire MEAs, (1) a computer-aided designed and 3D printed skull cap for the pre-determined implantation locations of each MEA and (2) a benchtop fabrication approach for low-cost custom microwire MEAs were developed. A proof-of-concept design of a 32-channel 4-MEA (8-wire each) recording system was prototyped and tested through Sprague Dawley rat recordings. The skull cap design, based on the CT-scan of a single rat conforms well with multiple Sprague Dawley rats of various sizes, ages, and weight with a minimal bregma alignment error (A/P axis standard error of the mean = 0.25 mm, M/L axis standard error of the mean = 0.07 mm, n = 6). The prototyped 32-channel system was able to record the spiking activities over five months. The developed benchtop fabrication method and the 3D printed skull cap implantation platform would enable neuroscience groups to conduct in-house design, fabrication, and implantation of customizable microwire MEAs at a lower cost than the current commercial options and experience a shorter lead time for the design modifications and iterations.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-Based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

Hartner

Ung

et al. 2022

Bioengineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Besides handling and placement, the soldering of the microwires was another labor-intensive and time-consuming step during MEA fabrication. Worse yet, some microwire materials like stainless steel and tungsten had nonoptimal solderability and would usually require extra steps of surface cleaning, pre-plating, pre-tinning, or specialized solder [18, 27, 28]. To overcome these challenges, conductive silver epoxy (EPO-TEK H20E by Epoxy Technology Inc., Billerica, MA) was applied using a sewing needle to create electrical connections between microwires and the PCB gold pads (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

Hartner

Ung

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microwire microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been a popular low-cost tool for chronic electrophysiological recordings. Multi-MEA implantations can reveal electrical dynamics crucial to brain function. However, both the fabrication and implantation procedures for multi-MEAs on a single rodent are time-consuming and highly manual skill-dependent for quality. To enable in-house design, fabrication, and implantation of custom microwire MEAs, we developed (1) a computer-aided designed and 3D printed skull cap for pre-determined implantation locations of each MEA and (2) a benchtop fabrication approach for low-cost custom microwire MEAs. A proof-of-concept design of 32-channel 4-MEA (8-wire each) recording system was prototyped and tested through Sprague Dawley rat recordings. The skull cap design based on CT-scan of single rat conforms well with multiple Sprague Dawley rats of various size, age, and weight with minimal bregma alignment error. The prototyped 32-channel system were able to record spiking activities over 5 months. In comparison with conventional stereotactic surgeries, the skull cap system simplifies the implantation location alignment for each MEA by embedding them into the pre-printed designs, thus dramatically reducing the surgical time and effort and increasing the accuracy and repeatability. Compared to commercially available custom microwire MEAs, this in-house fabrication method enables neuroscience labs to create a custom recording apparatus with lower cost and shorter lead time for design modifications. A new methodology for neuroscience labs to fabricate and insert custom microwire MEAs has been developed and it could be easily generalized to enable low-cost highly-custom multi-region recording/stimulation studies.

show abstract

“…For PrL, 11 tips were spaced 500 μm apart to cover most of the medial wall of the prefrontal cortex. For further details see Banstola et al (2021).…”

Section: Local Field Potential Recording and Stimulation Electrodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefrontal and hippocampal theta rhythm show anxiolytic‐like changes during periaqueductal‐elicited “panic” in rats

2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anxiety and panic are both elicited by threat and co‐occur clinically. But, at the neural level, anxiety appears to inhibit the generation of panic; and vice versa. Anxiety and panic are thought to engage more anterior (a) and mid‐posterior (m) parts of the periaqueductal gray (PAG), respectively. Anxiety also engages the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Here, we tested if mPAG but not aPAG stimulation would suppress prefrontal and hippocampal theta rhythm as do anxiolytic drugs. Twelve male rats with implanted electrodes were stimulated alternately (30 s interval) in the left PAG or right reticular formation (reticularis pontis oralis [RPO]—as a positive control) with recording in the left prelimbic cortex and left and right hippocampus. PAG stimulation was set to produce freezing and RPO to produce 7–8 Hz theta rhythm before tests lasting 10 min on each of 5 days. mPAG stimulation decreased, and aPAG increased, theta power at all sites during elicited freezing. mPAG, but not aPAG, stimulation decreased prefrontal theta frequency. Stimulation did not substantially change circuit dynamics (pairwise phase consistency and partial directed coherence). Together with previous reports, our data suggest that panic‐ and anxiety‐control systems are mutually inhibitory, and neural separation of anxiety and panic extends down to the aPAG and mPAG, respectively. Our findings are consistent with recent proposals that fear and anxiety are controlled by parallel neural hierarchies extending from PAG to the prefrontal cortex.

show abstract

Construction of simple, customised, brain-spanning, multi-channel, linear microelectrode arrays

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-Based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-Based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

3D Printed Skull Cap and Benchtop Fabricated Microwire-based Microelectrode Array for Custom Rat Brain Recordings

Prefrontal and hippocampal theta rhythm show anxiolytic‐like changes during periaqueductal‐elicited “panic” in rats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About