Exp Neurobiol.  2018 Dec;27(6):593-604. 10.5607/en.2018.27.6.593.

Characterization of Tetrodes Coated with Au Nanoparticles (AuNPs) and PEDOT and Their Application to Thalamic Neural Signal Detection in vivo

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Advanced Materials Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea.
  • 2Department of Neurosurgery, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju 28644, Korea. youngseokparkmd@gmail.com
  • 3Department of Neurosurgery, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea.
  • 4Neuroscience Research Institute, Brain-Bio center, University of Suwon, Hwaseong 18323, Korea.
  • 5Synaptic Devices Research Section, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon 34129, Korea.

Abstract

Tetrodes, consisting of four twisted micro-wires can simultaneously record the number of neurons in the brain. To improve the quality of neuronal activity detection, the tetrode tips should be modified to increase the surface area and lower the impedance properties. In this study, tetrode tips were modified by the electrodeposition of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and dextran (Dex) doped poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). The electrochemical properties were measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). A decrease in the impedance value from 4.3 MΩ to 13 kΩ at 1 kHz was achieved by the modified tetrodes. The cathodic charge storage capacity (CSC(C)) of AuNPs-PEDOT deposited tetrodes was 4.5 mC/cm², as determined by CV measurements. The tetrodes that were electroplated with AuNPs and PEDOT exhibited an increased surface area, which reduced the tetrode impedance. In vivo recording in the ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus was performed to investigate the single-unit activity in normal rats. To evaluate the recording performance of modified tetrodes, spontaneous spike signals were recorded. The values of the L-ratio, isolation distance and signal-to-noise (SNR) confirmed that electroplating the tetrode surface with AuNPs and PEDOT improved the recording performance, and these parameters could be used to effectively quantify the spikes of each cluster.

Keyword

microelectrodes; electrodes; Implanted; neuron; Signal detection; Thalamus

MeSH Terms

Animals
Brain
Dextrans
Dielectric Spectroscopy
Electric Impedance
Electrodes
Electroplating
Microelectrodes
Nanoparticles*
Neurons
Rats
Thalamus
Dextrans
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