Application of a flexible polymer microECoG array to map functional coherence in schizophrenia model.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Biology

Background:

• The brain's anatomical connections form its fundamental network.
• Functional brain activity involves temporary networks (connectomes) generating motor outputs.
• Schizophrenia is viewed as a connectome disease where aberrant signal processing causes symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map functional coherence across large cortical areas in a rat model of schizophrenia.
• To demonstrate the utility of flexible microelectrode arrays for studying connectome diseases.
• To present a novel analysis method for functional connectivity in rodent models.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a flexible, 32-channel polymer microelectrode array (microECoG).
• In vivo electrophysiological recordings in a rat model of schizophrenia.
• Analysis of functional coherence between cortical areas during visually evoked potentials using a custom R-based implementation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the successful fabrication and application of flexible microECoG arrays.
• Presented a detailed protocol for characterizing connectome diseases in rats.
• Detailed a customized R-based method for analyzing functional coherence during evoked potentials.

Conclusions:

• Flexible microECoG arrays are suitable for mapping large-scale cortical functional coherence.
• The developed methodology enables the characterization of functional connectome alterations in disease models.
• This approach offers a novel way to investigate the neural underpinnings of schizophrenia.