Recent Progress on Microelectrodes in Neural Interfaces

• Published in: Materials Vol. 11; no. 10; p. 1995
• Main Authors: Kim, Geon Hwee, Kim, Kanghyun, Lee, Eunji, An, Taechang, Choi, WooSeok, Lim, Geunbae, Shin, Jung Hwal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 16.10.2018; MDPI AG
• Subjects: brain‒machine interface (BMI); chronically implanted neural electrodes; electroencephalogram (EEG) electrode; microelectrode array (MEA); neural electrode; Review; surface modification; chronically implanted neural electrodes; electroencephalogram (EEG) electrode; neural electrode; microelectrode array (MEA); surface modification; brain‒machine interface (BMI)
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma11101995

Brain‒machine interface (BMI) is a promising technology that looks set to contribute to the development of artificial limbs and new input devices by integrating various recent technological advances, including neural electrodes, wireless communication, signal analysis, and robot control. Neural electrodes are a key technological component of BMI, as they can record the rapid and numerous signals emitted by neurons. To receive stable, consistent, and accurate signals, electrodes are designed in accordance with various templates using diverse materials. With the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, electrodes have become more integrated, and their performance has gradually evolved through surface modification and advances in biotechnology. In this paper, we review the development of the extracellular/intracellular type of in vitro microelectrode array (MEA) to investigate neural interface technology and the penetrating/surface (non-penetrating) type of in vivo electrodes. We briefly examine the history and study the recently developed shapes and various uses of the electrode. Also, electrode materials and surface modification techniques are reviewed to measure high-quality neural signals that can be used in BMI.