Conducting Polymer Devices for Neural Interfacing (Printed Electronics USA 2013)

Recordings of brain activity are important in the clinic, for applications ranging from localizing the epileptogenic zone, to functional mapping before surgery, to brain/machine interfaces.

 

• We developed transistors based on conducting polymers that show state-of-the-art gain and compatibility with mechanically flexible substrates. We used them to record brain activity in two rat models of epilepsy. The quality of the recordings was found to be improved 10 times compared to recordings made by electrodes, due to local signal amplification.

 

• This work represents the first use of a transistor to record bran activity. It demonstrates that transistors constitute a better tool for disease diagnosis and treatment.

Jonathan Rivnay received his B.S. in Materials Science from Cornell University in 2006 and his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford University in 2012. His doctoral research in the lab of Prof. Alberto Salleo focused on structure/property relations and the role of defects and disorder on charge transport in organic semiconductors. Jonathan then moved to the Department of Bioelectronics (BEL) at the Centre Microélectronique de Provence (Gardanne, France), where he is a Marie Curie fellow. His current interests include polymeric electrochemical devices for clinical and diagnostic applications, with a focus on devices for neural interfacing.

The Department of Bioelectronics (BEL) was established in 2009 in the Microelectronics Centre of Provence, which is one of the six education and research centers of the Ecole des Mines de St. Etienne. The vision of BEL is "to become an internationally renowned Department in which bioelectronic technologies are generated through better understanding and control of the electronics/tissue interface, and which provides outstanding education opportunities in this rapidly evolving field". There are three axes of research in BEL: Tools for neuroscience ; Biosensors for diagnostics, toxicology and drug discovery ; and Devices that control cell adhesion and function.