The communication of brain cells with one another is a mystery, however, a probe that clearly records the signals from neuros can unlock it.
A digital technology company in Belgium known as IMEC introduced a Neuropixels probe in collaboration with Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The tool can record the activity of neurons or brain cells.
Angelique Paulk, Ph.D., neuroscientist and physicist said,
“The Neuropixels device has revolutionized the field of neuroscience”
The technologies used earlier to record the activity of neurons relied on insertion of large electrodes in the brain.
Paulk further said,
“They can sample activity from thousands of brain cells at once, but that produces a blurry view.”
After switching to an audio analogy, she described the quality of recordings by the older devices. It is equivalent to standing in the middle of a football stadium and hearing the crowd roar. In fact, the Neuropixels probe is a lot smaller.
“Instead, it’s like you’re able to record hundreds of individual voices, each with its own microphone”
Modified Tool to Study Human Brains
However, the original Neuropixels design was of a research tool for using in small lab animals, for example rodents. Neuroscientists immediately showed interest in a tool to study human brains with some modifications. The original Neuropixel probe was fragile and couldn’t be used in large human brain. Hence, it was made thicker. Despite that, the width of the probe is equivalent to just three hairs.
The aim is to develop techniques that can use modified Neuropixels probe to record the activity of patient human brains undergoing a surgery. Nine neurosurgery patients also gave the consent to record the activity of their brain during the procedures. They were able to record the brain activity of three patients successfully. One of them was undergoing treatment for epilepsy while the other two received implants for deep-brain stimulation to treat movement disorders.
