Micromachined neural probes

• US 8,355,768 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Masmanidis, Sotiris K., Du, Jiangang, Roukes, Michael L., Laurent, Gilles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANTISKAY, BRIAN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/335,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 600377-378, 600/393, 600/395, 600372-373, 600/544, 607/116
• US Class Current: 600/378
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4041 Evaluating nerves condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6848 Needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/00 Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests vaccination appliances for veterinary use A61D1/025 ; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/00; combinations of vial and syringe for mixing or transferring their contents A61J1/20; holders for containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0531 Brain cortex electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors of trolley lines B60M1/28
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A neural probe includes at least one shaft, at least one first electrode disposed on a first side of the at least one shaft, and at least one second electrode disposed on a second side of the at least one shaft. The at least one second electrode is separately addressable from the at least first electrode.

Claims

1. A neural probe comprising:

a first structure, comprising a first base and a first shaft extended from the first base, the first shaft comprising at least one first electrode disposed thereon;

a second structure, comprising a second base and a second shaft extended from the second base, the second shaft comprising at least one second electrode disposed on thereon; and

a spacer having first and second opposing sides,

wherein the spacer is disposed between at least a portion of the first base and at least a portion of the second base,

wherein each of the first shaft and the second shaft extends beyond an edge of the spacer,

wherein the first structure is attached to the first side of a spacer, and the second structure is attached to the second, opposing side of the spacer,

wherein the at least one second electrode is separately addressable from the at least one first electrode, and

wherein the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode are configured for measuring extracellular potentials in a biological tissue.

2. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode is disposed on a first side of the first shaft and a microfluidic via is disposed on a second side of the first shaft.

3. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein the first structure comprises two or more shafts extended from the first base and the second structure comprises two or more shafts from the second base.

4. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein the first shaft has different length from the second shaft.

5. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft have a thickness of less than about 150 μ

m.

6. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises an anisotropic conducting film, a flex cable, an integrated circuit, a printed circuit board, or a combination thereof.

7. The neural probe of claim 1, wherein separately addressable electrodes are disposed on both sides of at least one of the first and the second shafts.

8. A method of measuring extracellular potentials in a biological tissue, the method comprising:

providing a neural probe comprising;

a first structure, comprising a first base and a first shaft extended from the first base, the first shaft comprising at least one first electrode disposed thereon;

a second structure, comprising a second base and a second shaft extended from the second base, the second shaft comprising at least one second electrode disposed on thereon; and

a spacer having first and second opposing sides,

wherein the spacer is disposed between at least a portion of the first base and at least a portion of the second base,

wherein each of the first shaft and the second shaft extends beyond an edge of the spacer, and

wherein the first structure is attached to the first side of a spacer, and the second structure is attached to the second, opposing side of the spacer;

addressing the at least one first electrode to measure the extracellular potential in the biological tissue; and

separately addressing the at least one second electrode to measure the extracellular potential in the biological tissue.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of separately addressing comprises reading electric signals from the at least one second electrode separately from the at least one first electrode to detect signals from a volume of the tissue.