A sprinkle of platinum nanoparticles onto graphene makes brain probes more sensitive

0
969

Graphene electrodes could enable higher quality imaging of brain cell activity thanks to new research by a team of engineers and neuroscientists at the University of California San Diego.

The researchers developed a technique, using platinum nanoparticles, to lower the impedance of graphene electrodes by 100 times while keeping them transparent. In tests on transgenic mice, the low-impedance graphene electrodes were able to record and image neuronal activity, such as calcium ion spikes, at both the macroscale and single cell levels. The advance brings graphene electrodes a step closer to being adapted into next-generation brain imaging technologies and various basic neuroscience and medical applications.

o

Over the past five years, researchers have been exploring graphene electrodes for use in neural implants that can be placed directly on the surface of the brain to record neuronal activity. They have several advantages over the traditional metal electrodes used in today’s neural implants. They are thinner and flexible, so they can conform better to brain tissue. They are also transparent, which makes it possible to both record and see the activity of neurons directly beneath the electrodes that would otherwise be blocked by opaque metal materials.

Click here to read more.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
o