This CMOS-based probe, small enough to be implanted beneath the brain’s outer layer, shows a less-invasive approach to studying neural activity.
Recent advancements in optical technologies offer new tools for monitoring and stimulating brain activity, building on existing methods like electrodes that track and modulate electrical signals in the nervous system. While electrodes have long been the standard for brain studies, emerging optical and optogenetic techniques show potential for more precise targeting of neuron populations across larger cortical areas. However, these techniques generally require bulky lab instruments, such as tabletop microscopes, limiting their practicality in clinical and research settings.
In response, scientists have been exploring miniaturized alternatives, including lensless microscopes, to reduce size and cost. These devices, though less cumbersome, often face limitations like lower resolution and high computational demands compared to traditional optical techniques. Researchers at Columbia University, New York University, and other institutions have now developed a subdermal optical device designed to improve precision in brain monitoring and stimulation. Their work presents an ultrathin, CMOS-based optical probe capable of bidirectional optical stimulation and recording. Unlike existing devices, this new tool is small enough to be implanted beneath the dura mater, the outermost layer of the brain’s protective tissue, providing a less-invasive approach to studying neural activity.
The core of this new technology is a flexible, lensless, miniaturized microscope known as SCOPe, integrated with an optical stimulator. This device has a total thickness of less than 200 µm, thin enough to fit entirely within the subdural space of a primate’s brain. The researchers tested it on mice and non-human primates, successfully using it to image the brain and stimulate neurons optically. In initial tests, the device enabled the researchers to track brain activity and correlate it with physical movements in non-human primates, demonstrating its potential for decoding motor behavior. This technology could pave the way for future neuroscience research, offering a less-invasive and more precise tool for manipulating and observing neural activity in live animals.
