Two-photon real-time imaging and chronic electrical recording in alert animals (TRICERA): correlation of optical measurements and neuronal signals from chronically implanted silicon probes

Implantable silicon-based neural probes for high-density neural recordings are important tools for the investigation of neurophysiological systems. However, progress in the application of probes to chronic implants has been hampered by two important challenges: (1) the progressive degradation of the probe/tissue interaction, which results in decreasing recording quality over time, (2) an adequate assessment tools for studying chronic neuroinflammatory reaction and probe performance. To overcome these challenges, we need a method to visualize the structure and function of the tissue surrounding the probe while implanted in the living brain.

Therefore, I will (1) develop and validate a rodent cellular imaging assay to study the foreign body response in chronic neural implants, and (2) 1.investigate the relation between glial scarring and quality of neural recordings from chronically implanted silicon probes. These results will provide the necessary information to direct the development of probes with improved long-term recording capabilities. The project will be performed in NERF (Bonin lab) with probe technology from imec (CTT team) and in collaboration with KULeuven (Bart Nuttin) and imec (Liesbet Lagae).