Tonic and Phasic Amperometric Monitoring of Dopamine Using Microelectrode Arrays in Rat Striatum

Abstract

Here we report a novel microelectrode array recording approach to measure tonic (resting) and phasic release of dopamine (DA) in DA-rich areas such as the rat striatum and nucleus accumbens. The resulting method is tested in intact central nervous system (CNS) and in animals with extensive loss of the DA pathway using the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxyDA (6-OHDA). The self-referencing amperometric recording method employs Nafion-coated with and without m-phenylenediamine recording sites that through real-time subtraction allow for simultaneous measures of tonic DA levels and transient changes due to depolarization and amphetamine-induced release. The recording method achieves low-level measures of both tonic and phasic DA with decreased recording drift allowing for enhanced sensitivity normally not achieved with electrochemical sensors in vivo.

Flow Control Techniques for Enhancing the Bio-Recognition Performance of Microfluidic-Integrated Biosensors

“…In passive methods, sensing is enhanced with new materials and geometry optimization, while in active methods, moving parts and external forces such as electric or pressure field are applied. Some solution in this matter include utilizing conducting polymers for high-performance biosensors due to their chemical versatility and charge transport [17,18], use of metamaterials in resonators for better and durable biosensors [19,20], microelectrode array approach for high sensitivity and live detection [21,22], and microfluidic approach for DNA analysis [23][24][25]. In the current study, to enhance the performance of microfluidic-integrated biosensors, three different types of functional designs, with both active (E cases) and passive (H cases) methods, are presented.…”