Published June 6, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Tapered fibertrodes for optoelectrical neural interfacing in small brain volumes with reduced artefacts

Creators

  • 1. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano, LE 73010, Italy
  • 2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
  • 3. DiSTeBA - Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
  • 4. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
  • 5. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, CBN, Lecce, Italy Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Innovazione, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy

Description

Deciphering the neural patterns underlying brain functions is essential to understanding how neurons are organized into networks. This deciphering has been greatly facilitated by optogenetics and its combination with optoelectronic devices to control neural activity with millisecond temporal resolution and cell type specificity. However, targeting small brain volumes causes photoelectric artefacts, in particular when light emission and recording sites are close to each other. We take advantage of the photonic properties of tapered fibres to develop integrated ‘fibertrodes’ able to optically activate small brain volumes with abated photoelectric noise. Electrodes are positioned very close to light emitting points by non-planar microfabrication, with angled light emission allowing the simultaneous optogenetic manipulation and electrical read-out of one to three neurons, with no photoelectric artefacts, in vivo. The unconventional implementation of two-photon polymerization on the curved taper edge enables the fabrication of recoding sites all around the implant, making fibertrodes a promising complement to planar microimplants.

Notes

B.S., A.B., M.B., F. Pisano and F. Pisanello acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (no. 677683); M.P. and M.D.V. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (no. 692943). M.B., M.D.V. and F.Pisanello acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (no. 966674). F. Pisano, M.D.V. and F. Pisanello acknowledge funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (no. 101016787). L.S., M.D.V. and B.L.S. are funded by the US National Institutes of Health (U01NS094190). M.P., L.S., F. Pisanello, M.D.V. and B.L.S. are funded by the US National Institutes of Health (1UF1NS108177-01). A.B., F. Pisanello and M.D.V. also acknowledge funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (no. 828972). We also acknowledge J. Lee for help setting up the optrode fibre launch system.

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Additional details

Related works

Is identical to
10.1038/s41563-022-01272-8 (DOI)

Funding

MODEM – Multipoint Optical DEvices for Minimally invasive neural circuits interface 677683
European Commission
BrainBIT – All-optical brain-to-brain behaviour and information transfer 692943
European Commission
DEEPER – DEEP BRAIN PHOTONIC TOOLS FOR CELL-TYPE SPECIFIC TARGETING OF NEURAL DISEASES 101016787
European Commission
Controlling the spatial extent of light-based monitoring and manipulation of neural activity in vivo 1UF1NS108177-01
National Institutes of Health
NanoBRIGHT – BRInGing nano-pHoTonics into the brain 828972
European Commission
IN DEPTH – INtroDucing axial rEsolution in oPToelectronic implantable devices for tHe brain 966674
European Commission