Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: 3D microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are gaining popularity as brain-machine interfaces and platforms for studying electrophysiological activity. Interactions with neural tissue depend on the electrochemical, mechanical, and spatial features of the recording platform. While planar or protruding 2D MEAs are limited in their ability to capture neural activity across layers, existing 3D platforms still require advancements in manufacturing scalability, spatial resolution, and tissue integration. In this work, a customizable, scalable, and straightforward approach to fabricate flexible 3D kirigami MEAs containing both surface and penetrating electrodes, designed to interact with the 3D space of neural tissue, is presented. These novel probes feature up to 512 electrodes distributed across 128 shanks in a single flexible device, with shank heights reaching up to 1 mm. The 3D kirigami MEAs are successfully deployed in several neural applications, both in vitro and in vivo, and identified spatially dependent electrophysiological activity patterns. Flexible 3D kirigami MEAs are therefore a powerful tool for large-scale electrical sampling of complex neural tissues while improving tissue integration and offering enhanced capabilities for analyzing neural disorders and disease models where high spatial resolution is required.
Source: Advanced Materials
Authors: Marie Jung, Jamal Abu Shihada, Simon Decke, Lina Koschinski, Peter Severin Graff, Sebastián Maruri Pazmino, Anke Höllig, Henner Koch, Simon Musall, Andreas Offenhäusser, Viviana Rincón Montes
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $6,070
OpenAlex ID: W4409407498