The objective of this research is to develop a multichannel Wireless Implantable Neural Recording and Stimulating (WINeRS) system to be used as a bidirectional interface with the central nervous system for neurobiology research applications. The system will be evaluated in the context of hippocampal electrophysiology research on memory.
Intellectual Merit: High power, large size, low efficiency, limited bandwidth, and susceptibility to noise and interference are some of the major existing challenges in development of such systems, which will be targeted by adopting a modular scalable system-on-a-chip architecture. The ultra low-noise recording unit will be clockless and tunable to the frequency band of interest within the neural signal. It will have stimulus artifact rejection capability and adaptive resolution to the bandwidth and number of active channels. Three individual radio-frequency carriers will be optimized for high-efficiency inductive powering, high-rate forward data transmission, and wideband back telemetry across the skin. State-of-the-art microassembly will be devised to combine the multichannel stimulation and recording units with multiple antennas, microwire bundles, and micromachined electrode arrays on a head-mounted package.
Broader Impact: Diseases that target the hippocampus, such as dementia and the Alzheimer?s, which affected 5.1 million Americans in 2007, are rapidly growing in the aging industrial societies. The proposed microsystem could be invaluable tool in the hands of neuroscientists. The proposed effort also includes the development of senior design courses for undergraduate students, and involved undergraduate students in research activities.
