Brain-Interfacing Electrodes

State of the art technology including electronics that can interface with the brain has been incredibly useful in both understanding how the brain works and how neural diseases develop and occur. One of the biggest challenges today is to create electrodes that can sample a part of the brain at high resolutions while not being problematic physically. The Viventi lab works on designing active, and flexible electrodes that can reliably record signals from the surface of the brain without being too invasive. Much research also goes into ensuring that the electrodes last long and work well over time.

In order to determine the effectiveness of each channel on an electrode, the impedance of the channel can be measured. This value, in short, correlates with how well a signal can be recorded from the electrode in question, and can be tested easily using open source software. My research specifically will look into how impedance values change overtime using the new electrode arrays that measure μECoG signals from the surface of the brain. From this information, it will be better known how long electrodes may be implanted for before failing to work.

My project will aim to figure out the different characteristics that affect the impedance of a channel in an electrode. This information can be used to further improve the design of the active electrode to reliably record data. It is also important to be able to link this information with characterized bio-responses of the brain to implantation over-time to understand how the immune system affects the way the neural signals are recorded by the electrodes.

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