Hemispherical Microelectrode Array for Ex Vivo Retinal Neural Recording

To investigate the neuronal visual encoding process in the retina, researchers have performed in vitro and ex vivo electrophysiological experiments using animal retinal tissues. The microelectrode array (MEA) has become a key component in retinal experiments because it enables simultaneous neural re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Micromachines (Basel) 2020-05, Vol.11 (5), p.538
Main Authors: Ha, Yoonhee, Yoo, Hyun-Ji, Shin, Soowon, Jun, Sang Beom
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Arrays
Deformation
Design
Electrodes
Flexible components
hemispherical
Hemispherical electrodes
Laser processing
Liquid crystal polymers
microelectrode array (MEA)
Microelectrodes
neural recording
Polydimethylsiloxane
Prostheses
Recording
Retina
Silicon wafers
Silicone resins
Substrates
Surfactants
Thin films
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Summary:To investigate the neuronal visual encoding process in the retina, researchers have performed in vitro and ex vivo electrophysiological experiments using animal retinal tissues. The microelectrode array (MEA) has become a key component in retinal experiments because it enables simultaneous neural recording from a population of retinal neurons. However, in most retinal experiments, it is inevitable that the retinal tissue is flattened on the planar MEA, becoming deformed from the original hemispherical shape. During the tissue deforming process, the retina is subjected to mechanical stress, which can induce abnormal physiological conditions. To overcome this problem, in this study, we propose a hemispherical MEA with a curvature that allows retinal tissues to adhere closely to electrodes without tissue deformation. The electrode array is fabricated by stretching a thin, flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) electrode layer onto a hemispherical substrate. To form micro patterns of electrodes, laser processing is employed instead of conventional thin-film microfabrication processes. The feasibility for neural recording from retinal tissues using this array is shown by conducting ex vivo retinal experiments. We anticipate that the proposed techniques for hemispherical MEAs can be utilized not only for ex vivo retinal studies but also for various flexible electronics.
ISSN:2072-666X
2072-666X
DOI:10.3390/mi11050538