Scientists have developed a new device that could revolutionise our understanding of the brain by allowing researchers to map the activity of complex neural networks that control behaviour and decision making, in a way never before possible. The Neuropixels probes are described in a paper published today in Nature.
Neuropixels - tiny silicon probes thinner than a human hair - can simultaneously record the activity of hundreds of neurons across multiple different brain regions in mice and rats. Existing technologies can only provide detailed data on very small areas of the brain, limiting our understanding of how responses in different parts of the brain coordinate to perform complex behaviours. The new probes will allow scientists to understand the brain at a level of detail and at a scale that previously seemed impossible.
This new approach may eventually allow researchers to understand how disorders like depression or Alzheimer's can alter the neural circuits in our brain and could lead to new ways of treating these diseases.
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 174312
Times Visited: 3179 For those who need to move fast and expand clinical capabilities -- and would love new equipment -- the uCT 550 Advance offers a new fully configured 80-slice CT in up to 2 weeks with routine maintenance and parts and Software Upgrades for Life™ included.
In 2018, Neuropixels will be available at cost price to neuroscientists across the globe. There are currently around 400 prototypes in testing at leading research centres worldwide. Leading neuroscientists are already using them in their work to uncover how complex networks of brain cells support our ability to learn and make decisions (see case study below for more details).
The human brain is thought to be the most complex object in the universe, with over 70 billion neurons that control how we think, feel and behave. To unravel this complexity, scientists need to measure thousands of individual neurons, all over the brain, at the same time.
Current recording devices are dependent on wire electrodes that limit the number that can be simultaneously placed in the brain; they typically have no more than a few dozen sensors. The new silicon probes have 960 recording sites distributed across large parts of the brain, enabling researchers to record from more neurons simultaneously in a single experiment than ever before.
The tiny super-sensitive electrodes on the Neuropixels probes can record the activity of hundreds of individual neurons from multiple brain regions, in real time. This will give scientists a much clearer picture of how different parts of the brain work together to process information. It could help researchers better understand how decisions are made and how emotion is regulated.
