Multishank Thin-Film Neural Probes and Implantation System for High-Resolution Neural Recording Applications

Silicon probes have played a key role in studying the brain. However, the stark mechanical mismatch between these probes and the brain leads to chronic damage in the surrounding neural tissue, limiting their application in research and clinical translation. Mechanically flexible probes made of thin plastic shanks offer an attractive tissue-compatible alternative but are difficult to implant into the brain. They also struggle to achieve the electrode density and layout necessary for the high-resolution applications their silicon counterparts excel at. Here, a multishank high-density flexible neural probe design is presented, which emulates the functionality of stiff silicon arrays for recording from neural population across multiple sites within a given region. The flexible probe is accompanied by a detachable 3D printed implanter, which delivers the probe by means of hydrophobic-coated shuttles. The shuttles can then be retracted with minimal movement and the implanter houses the electronics necessary for in vivo recording applications. Validation of the probes through extracellular recordings from multiple brain regions and histological evidence of minimal foreign body response opens the path to long-term chronic monitoring of neural ensembles.