Ultraflexible Neural Probes for Multidirectional Neuronal Activity Recordings over Large Spatial and Temporal Scales.

ABSTRACT

The widespread dissemination of ultraflexible neural probes depends on the development of advanced materials and implementation strategies that can allow reliable implantation of ultraflexible neural probes into targeted brain regions, especially deep and difficult-to-access brain regions. Here, we report ultraflexible and multidirectional probes that are encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer alloy with controllable dissolution kinetics. Our probes can be reliably implanted into targeted brain regions over large spatial scales, including deep hindbrain regions that are anatomically difficult-to-access in vivo. Chronically implanted probes can enable long-term, multidirectional recordings from several hundreds of neurons across distributed brain regions. In particular, our results show that 87.0% of chronically recorded neurons in the hindbrain are interneurons, whereas only 41.9% of chronically recorded neurons in the cortex are interneurons. These results demonstrate that our ultraflexible neural probes are a promising tool for large-scale, long-term neural circuit dissection in the brain.