High‐Aspect‐Ratio Nanoelectrodes Enable Long‐Term Recordings of Neuronal Signals with Subthreshold Resolution
Pegah Shokoohimehr, Bogdana Čepkenović, Frano Miloš, Justus Bednár, Hossein Hassani, Vanessa Maybeck, Andreas Offenhäusser
Abstract
The further development of neurochips requires high-density and high-resolution recordings that also allow neuronal signals to be observed over a long period of time. Expanding fields of network neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering demand the multiparallel and direct estimations of synaptic weights, and the key objective is to construct a device that also records subthreshold events. Recently, 3D nanostructures with a high aspect ratio have become a particularly suitable interface between neurons and electronic devices, since the excellent mechanical coupling to the neuronal cell membrane allows very high signal-to-noise ratio recordings. In the light of an increasing demand for a stable, noninvasive and long-term recording at subthreshold resolution, a combination of vertical nanostraws with nanocavities is presented. These structures provide a spontaneous tight coupling with rat cortical neurons, resulting in high amplitude sensitivity and postsynaptic resolution capability, as directly confirmed by combined patch-clamp and microelectrode array measurements.