Can One Concurrently Record Electrical Spikes from Every Neuron in a Mammalian Brain?

The classic approach to measure the spiking response of neurons involves the use of metal electrodes to record extracellular potentials. Starting over 60 years ago with a single recording site, this technology now extends to ever larger numbers and densities of sites. We argue, based on the mechanic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2019-09, Vol.103 (6), p.1005-1015
Main Authors: Kleinfeld, David, Luan, Lan, Mitra, Partha P., Robinson, Jacob T., Sarpeshkar, Rahul, Shepard, Kenneth, Xie, Chong, Harris, Timothy D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
action potentials
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
Automation
Brain stem
connectomics
Cortex
Electrical properties
Electrocorticography - instrumentation
Electrocorticography - methods
Electrodes
Equipment Design
Extracellular Space
Feasibility studies
Firing pattern
Grants
Mammals
Microscopy
multisite recording
Neocortex - cytology
Neocortex - physiology
neurocomputation
Neurons
Neurons - physiology
Signal processing
Signal-To-Noise Ratio
Single-Cell Analysis
Spinal cord
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Summary:The classic approach to measure the spiking response of neurons involves the use of metal electrodes to record extracellular potentials. Starting over 60 years ago with a single recording site, this technology now extends to ever larger numbers and densities of sites. We argue, based on the mechanical and electrical properties of existing materials, estimates of signal-to-noise ratios, assumptions regarding extracellular space in the brain, and estimates of heat generation by the electronic interface, that it should be possible to fabricate rigid electrodes to concurrently record from essentially every neuron in the cortical mantle. This will involve fabrication with existing yet nontraditional materials and procedures. We further emphasize the need to advance materials for improved flexible electrodes as an essential advance to record from neurons in brainstem and spinal cord in moving animals. •Physical limits do not preclude simultaneous recordings of all spikes in neocortex•Future electrodes need nontraditional materials and fabrication procedures•Challenges for dense recording include heat dissipation from interface electronics Understanding cognition can, in principle, require simultaneous records of spikes from every neuron in cortex. Can this be achieved? The results from back-of-the-envelope calculations show that such measurements may be obtained using electrodes fabricated with existing yet nontraditional materials and procedures.
ISSN:0896-6273
1097-4199
DOI:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.011