Neural implants with large numbers of electrodes have become an important tool for examining brain functions. However, these devices typically displace a large intracranial volume compared to the neurons they record. This large size limits the density of implants, provokes tissue reactions that degrade chronic performance, and impedes the ability to accurately visualize recording sites within intact circuits. Here we report next-generation silicon-based neural probes at cellular-scale (5x10um cross-section), with ultra-high-density packing (as little as 66um between shanks) and 64 or 256 closely-spaced recording sites per probe. We show that these probes can be inserted into superficial or deep brain structures and maintain high-quality spike recordings in freely behaving rats for many weeks. Finally, we demonstrate a slice-in-place approach for the precise registration of recording sites relative to nearby neurons and anatomical features, including striatal mu-opioid receptor patches. This scalable technology provides a valuable tool for examining information processing within neural circuits, and potentially for human brain-machine interfaces.

中文翻译：

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细胞级硅探针，用于高密度，精确定位的神经生理学

具有大量电极的神经植入物已成为检查脑功能的重要工具。但是，与它们记录的神经元相比，这些设备通常会移位较大的颅内体积。这种较大的尺寸限制了植入物的密度，引发了降低慢性功能的组织反应，并阻碍了在完整电路中准确显示记录部位的能力。在这里，我们报告了细胞规模（横截面为5x10um）的下一代基于硅的神经探针，具有超高密度包装（柄之间的间距仅为66um），每个探针具有64或256个紧密间隔的记录位点。我们表明，这些探针可以插入浅表或深层大脑结构，并在行为自由的大鼠中保持高品质的峰值记录数周。最后，我们展示了一种就地切片方法，用于相对于附近神经元和解剖特征（包括纹状体阿片类受体斑块）的记录位点进行精确配准。这项可扩展的技术提供了一种有价值的工具，可用于检查神经回路内以及潜在地用于人脑-机器接口的信息处理。