Deep brain implantable microelectrode arrays for detection and functional localization of the subthalamic nucleus in rats with Parkinson’s disease

The subthalamic nucleus(STN)is considered the best target for deep brain stimulation treatments of Parkinson’s disease(PD).It is difficult to localize the STN due to its small size and deep location.Multichannel microelectrode arrays(MEAs)can rapidly and precisely locate the STN,which is important for precise stimulation.In this paper,16-channel MEAs modified with multiwalled carbon nanotube/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(MWCNT/PEDOT:PSS)nanocomposites were designed and fabricated,and the accurate and rapid identification of the STN in PD rats was performed using detection sites distributed at different brain depths.These results showed that nuclei in 6-hydroxydopamine hydrobromide(6-OHDA)-lesioned brains discharged more intensely than those in unlesioned brains.In addition,the MEA simultaneously acquired neural signals from both the STN and the upper or lower boundary nuclei of the STN.Moreover,higher values of spike firing rate,spike amplitude,local field potential(LFP)power,and beta oscillations were detected in the STN of the 6-OHDA-lesioned brain,and may therefore be biomarkers of STN localization.Compared with the STNs of unlesioned brains,the power spectral density of spikes and LFPs synchronously decreased in the delta band and increased in the beta band of 6-OHDA-lesioned brains.This may be a cause of sleep and motor disorders associated with PD.Overall,this work describes a new cellular-level localization and detection method and provides a tool for future studies of deep brain nuclei.

Impaired Spatial Firing Representations of Neurons in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex of the Epileptic Rat Using Microelectrode Arrays

Epilepsy severely impairs the cognitive behavior of patients.It remains unclear whether epilepsy-induced cognitive impairment is associated with neuronal activities in the medial entorhinal cortex(MEC),a region known for its involvement in spatial cognition.To explore this neural mechanism,we recorded the spikes and local field potentials from MEC neurons in lithium-pilocarpine-induced epileptic rats using self-designed microelectrode arrays.Through the open field test,we identified spatial cells exhibiting spatially selective firing properties and assessed their spatial representations in relation to the progression of epilepsy.Meanwhile,we analyzed theta oscillations and theta modulation in both excitatory and inhibitory neurons.Furthermore,we used a novel object recognition test to evaluate changes in spatial cognitive ability of epileptic rats.After the epilepsy modeling,the spatial tuning of various types of spatial cells had suffered a rapid and pronounced damage during the latent period(1 to 5 d).Subsequently,the firing characteristics and theta oscillations were impaired.In the chronic period(>10 d),the performance in the novel object experiment deteriorated.In conclusion,our study demonstrates the detrimental effect on spatial representations and electrophysiological properties of MEC neurons in the epileptic latency,suggesting the potential use of these changes as a"functional biomarker"for predicting cognitive impairment caused by epilepsy.