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The current set of microneedle arrays are equipped with needles that are up to 7.5 mm long and which have a cross section of 200 to 300 μm by 100 μm. Each microneedle contains up to 9 individually addressable electrodes distributed along the shaft which allow signals to be recorded at various depths inside the brain thereby providing a 2D image of brain activity to the neuroscientists. At IMTEK (University of Freiburg, Germany) a custom ultra-flexible cable is bonded to the arrays providing a means to electrically connect the arrays to existing signal processing equipment. Insertion test performed by our partners demonstrated that the extremely sharp needles effortlessly pierced through brain tissue.
In a later stage of the Neuroprobes project multiple 2D-arrays will be mounted together into a silicon platform developed at IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Belgium) enabling 3D signal recording and stimulation. In addition there will be an option to dispense fluids through the needle shafts for inactivation of parts of the brain or for dispensing neurotransmitters. These glass microfluidic needle arrays have been developed in parallel to the electrode needle arrays as part of the Neuroprobes project.
Neuroprobes is a European FP6 project aiming at developing a system platform for better understanding of the human brain, after validation in animal models, and for the treatment of the associated diseases. The proposed work will enable a new integrated tool that combines multiple functions to allow electrical recording and stimulation as well as chemical sensing and stimulation.
The Neuroprobes project is supported by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The other partners of the project are: IMEC (Belgium),IMTEK (Germany), HSG-IMIT (Germany), Mälardalen University (Sweden), University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Katholiek Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Cambridge University (UK), University of Parma (Italy), Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary), CNRS Collège de France (France), University Miguel Hernández (Spain), Philips Research (Netherlands) and Cochlear Technology Centre (UK)