Modification of standard CMOS technology for cell-based biosensors.

We present an electrode based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology that can be made fully biocompatible and chemically inert using a simple, low-cost and non-specialised process. Since these devices are based on ubiquitous CMOS technology, the integrated circuits can be readily developed to include appropriate amplifiers, filters and wireless subsystems, thus reducing the complexity and cost of external systems. The unprocessed CMOS aluminium electrodes are modified using anodisation and plating techniques which do not require intricate and expensive semiconductor processing equipment and can be performed on the bench-top as a clean-room environment is not required. The resulting transducers are able to detect both the fast electrical activity of neurons and the slow changes in impedance of growing and dividing cells. By using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques and well-established technologies, the approach can form the basis of cell-based biosensors and transducers for high throughput drug discovery assays, neuroprosthetics and as a basic research tool in biosciences. The technology is equally applicable to other biosensors that require noble metal or nanoporous microelectrodes.

Relationship between attitudinal hostility and P300 latencies.

1. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether components of the P300 were related to aggression in a normal population. 2. Event-related potentials were recorded from midline sites during a standard pure tone auditory oddball task. 3. Findings indicated significantly prolonged P300 latencies to target stimuli in subjects with higher total aggression and attitudinal hostility scores on the BDHI. 4. The relationship between P300 latency and aggression extends findings in specifically aggressive populations. P300 amplitudes may only be reduced in samples displaying violent or assaultive behaviour.