UC San Diego

The term 'brain telescope' aptly describes the rapid advancements in neural electrode technologies, serving as a metaphor for their transformative impact on understanding the brain—much like telescopes did for astronomy. Early telescopes revealed new celestial details; similarly, modern neural recording devices enable neuroscientists to explore intricate brain networks with unprecedented resolution. These 'brain telescopes' provide insights into neural dynamics at both macro and micro scales, uncovering patterns previously inaccessible.This dissertation focuses on developing and scaling neural electrode technologies to achieve high-fidelity electrophysiological recordings, starting with single-neuron action potentials and expanding toward to large-scale local field potential recordings from the intact brains. The first part introduces vertical ultra-sharp nanowires (USNWs) for intracellular recordings in vitro. We describe the novel fabrication process and present electrophysiological recording data from various cell lines, advancing multi-channel intracellular recording platforms for predictive, high-throughput, and cost-effective drug screening. The second part details the Fishbone Intracellular Nanowire Electrode (FINE), designed with slanted nanowires on a shank to enable three-dimensional intracellular recordings in intact brains. This approach addresses scalability limitations of traditional methods, facilitating large-scale investigations into neuronal membrane potential changes and their roles in brain function. The final section covers the fabrication of multi-layer surface electrocorticography (ECoG) grids for intraoperative and semi-chronic monitoring in human epilepsy patients. By integrating wireless, high-density 4096-channel ECoG grids, this work bridges experimental research and clinical practice. The goal is not only to deepen our understanding of the brain but also to advance clinical translation, improving the tools by which we diagnose and treat diseases and disorders in the nervous system. The recordings enabled by this technology have the potential to revolutionize neuroscience and neurotherapy, particularly in monitoring and treating epilepsy as well as other neurological disorders.