Low-Power Fully Integrated 256-Channel Nanowire Electrode-on-Chip Neural Interface for Intracellular...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Integrated Circuits
• Biophysics

Background:

• Intracellular electrophysiology is crucial for cellular neuroscience but limited by the patch-clamp method's complexity and low throughput.
• Achieving scalable, multi-channel neural recording has been hindered by technological barriers.
• A need exists for high-throughput, reliable systems for in vitro neural activity analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable, high-throughput integrated circuit for in vitro intracellular electrophysiology.
• To enable simultaneous recording and stimulation of neural activity with a system-on-chip solution.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional patch-clamp techniques for neural research.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a micropower integrated circuit (electrophysiology system-on-chip, eSoC) fabricated in 180nm CMOS.
• Integration of four 8x8 arrays of nanowire electrodes (256 channels total) with a 50 µm pitch.
• Implementation of essential functions including signal amplification, acquisition, control, and direct electrode interface.

Main Results:

• The eSoC measures 2.236 mm x 2.236 mm with low power consumption (0.47 µW per channel).
• Each channel offers 80 dB adjustable dynamic range at a 25 kHz sampling rate, supporting current stimulation and voltage recording.
• Experimental validation demonstrated accurate resolution of chemically induced multi-unit intracellular electrical activity in cultured neurons.

Conclusions:

• The developed eSoC provides a scalable and high-throughput solution for in vitro intracellular electrophysiology.
• This system-on-chip technology facilitates advanced neural recording and stimulation, addressing limitations of existing methods.
• The eSoC shows promise for advancing cellular neuroscience research through enhanced neural activity analysis.