A 3-D 160-Site Microelectrode Array for Cochlear Nucleus Mapping

作者：Merriam Mary Elizabeth; Dehmel Susanne; Srivannavit Onnop; Shore Susan E; Wise Kensall D^*

来源：IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2011, 58(2): 397-403.

DOI：10.1109/TBME.2010.2088122

• Auditory brainstem prosthesis
• cochlear nucleus
• microelectrode array
• neural mapping
• silicon probe
• 3-D microassembly of microelectromechanical devices

A 3-D application-specific microelectrode array has been developed for physiological studies in guinea pig cochlear nucleus (CN). The batch-fabricated silicon probes contain integrated parylene cables and use a boron etch-stop to define 15 mu m-thick shanks and limit tissue displacement. Targeting the ventral (three probes) and dorsal (two probes) subnuclei, the custom four-shank 32-site probes are combined in a slotted block platform having a 1.18-mm(2) footprint. The device has permitted, for the first time, high-density 3-D in vivo studies of ventral CN to dorsal CN connections, stimulating with 1000 mu m(2) sites in one subnucleus while recording with 177 mu m(2) sites in the other. Through these experiments, it has demonstrated the efficacy of bimodal silicon arrays to better understand the central nervous system at the circuit level. The 160 electrode sites also provide a high-density neural interface, which is an essential aspect of auditory prosthesis prototypes.

• 出版日期2011-2