A Review: Research Progress of Neural Probes for Brain Research and Brain-Computer Interface

• Published in: Biosensors (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 1167
• Main Authors: Luo, Jiahui, Xue, Ning, Chen, Jiamin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.12.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Analysis; Arrays; Biocompatibility; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain research; Brain-Computer Interfaces; brain–computer interface; Communication; Data integration; Electrode materials; Electrodes; electrodes flexibility; Electrodes, Implanted; Flexibility; Genetics; Health aspects; Humans; Information processing; Interfaces; magnetic recordings; Magnetic signals; Magnetoresistivity; Mechanical properties; Microelectrodes; Microelectromechanical systems; Microfluidics; micromechanical technology; Neural networks; neural probes; Neurons; Neurons - physiology; Neurophysiology; Neurosciences; Optics; optogenetics; Probes; Review; Reviews; Sensors; Signal to noise ratio; Silicon; Substrates; Tissues; User interface; China; United States > US; Utah; Michigan; micromechanical technology; magnetic recordings; brain–computer interface; neural probes; electrodes flexibility; optogenetics
• ISSN: 2079-6374; 2079-6374
• DOI: 10.3390/bios12121167

Neural probes, as an invasive physiological tool at the mesoscopic scale, can decipher the code of brain connections and communications from the cellular or even molecular level, and realize information fusion between the human body and external machines. In addition to traditional electrodes, two new types of neural probes have been developed in recent years: optoprobes based on optogenetics and magnetrodes that record neural magnetic signals. In this review, we give a comprehensive overview of these three kinds of neural probes. We firstly discuss the development of microelectrodes and strategies for their flexibility, which is mainly represented by the selection of flexible substrates and new electrode materials. Subsequently, the concept of optogenetics is introduced, followed by the review of several novel structures of optoprobes, which are divided into multifunctional optoprobes integrated with microfluidic channels, artifact-free optoprobes, three-dimensional drivable optoprobes, and flexible optoprobes. At last, we introduce the fundamental perspectives of magnetoresistive (MR) sensors and then review the research progress of magnetrodes based on it.