Technology

Silicon microprobes

We have developed silicon microprobes containing up to 256 electrodes optimized for recording large-scale neural activity (single-unit and LFP). Thanks to support from the NSF NeuroNex program we have previously offered large quantities of microprobes as open-source, low-cost tools to the neuroscience community. In total we have shared nearly 2,000 probes with dozens of labs around the world. We are no longer actively engaged in disseminating these tools, but continue to heavily rely on silicon probes in our own neuroscience research. 

Visit our Github file repository for information on electrode maps, design files, instructional videos, and other resources. 

Technology Publications

Open source silicon microprobes for high throughput neural recording

• Describes technical aspects related to silicon microprobe design, development, and dissemination.

Brain activity mapping at multiple scales with silicon microprobes containing 1024 electrodes

• Demonstrates simultaneous recording from four brain areas with a total of 1,024 electrodes, yielding up to 400 neurons.

Multiplexed, High Density Electrophysiology with Nanofabricated Neural Probes

• Development of silicon probes with nanoscale wiring, and their operation using a multiplexing chip to read out data from large numbers of channels.

Constraints on the subsecond modulation of striatal dynamics by physiological dopamine signaling

• Uses silicon microprobes in combination with fiber photometry in the ventral striatum.

Dopamine lesions alter the striatal encoding of single-limb gait

• Uses silicon microprobes to perform optogenetic tagging of striatal D1 and D2 receptor expressing neurons.