Work

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) polymer coatings facilitate smaller neural recording electrodes

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: We investigated using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) to lower the impedance of small, gold recording electrodes with initial impedances outside of the effective recording range. Smaller electrode sites enable more densely packed arrays, increasing the number of input and output channels to and from the brain. Moreover, smaller electrode sizes promote smaller probe designs; decreasing the dimensions of the implanted probe has been demonstrated to decrease the inherent immune response, a known contributor to the failure of long-term implants. As expected, chronically implanted control electrodes were unable to record well-isolated unit activity, primarily as a result of a dramatically increased noise floor. Conversely, electrodes coated with PEDOT consistently recorded high-quality neural activity, and exhibited a much lower noise floor than controls. These results demonstrate that PEDOT coatings enable electrode designs 15 µm in diameter.

Source: Journal of Neural Engineering

DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/8/1/014001

Authors: Kip A Ludwig, Nicholas B Langhals, Mike D Joseph, Sarah M Richardson-Burns, Jeffrey L Hendricks, Daryl R Kipke

Institution: University of Michigan

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Neural Engineering

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, University of Michigan, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Awards: An Engineering Research Center In Wireless Integrated Microsystems, Center for Neural Communication Technology