FDA Regulation of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices: Access to Safe and Effective Neurotechnologies for All Americans.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures that patients in the U.S. have access to safe and effective medical devices. The Division of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices reviews medical technologies that interface with the nervous system. This article addresses how to navigate the FDA's regulatory landscape to successfully bring medical devices to patients.

Novel MEA platform with PDMS microtunnels enables the detection of action potential propagation from isolated axons in culture.

This study investigated a novel multi-electrode-array (MEA) design capable of long-term and highly selective recordings of axonal signals using PDMS microtunnels. We successfully grew neurons in culture so that only axons extended through narrow (10 microm wide by 3 microm high) and long (750 microm) microtunnels under which multiple electrodes were integrated. This permitted the recording of relatively large (up to 200 microV) electrical signals, including the propagation speed and direction of these travelling action potentials. To further demonstrate the operation of the device as a diagnostic tool for drug screening assays, the drug mepivacaine was applied in washout experiments. Here, we identified significant changes in mean spiking rate and conduction velocity.