Subdural CMOS optical probe (SCOPe) for bidirectional neural interfacing

TLDR

Optical neurotechnologies use light to interface with neurons and can monitor and manipulate neural activity with high spatial‑temporal precision over large cortical extents, yet existing head‑mounted microscopes remain bulky and cannot be fully implanted, underscoring the need for a noninvasive, fully implantable form factor for human use. The study develops an ultrathin, miniaturized subdural CMOS optical probe (SCOPe) for bidirectional optical stimulation and recording. The probe is fabricated by integrating microelectronics with heterogeneous optoelectronic packaging to achieve an ultrathin, miniaturized device. Because it is thin enough to lie entirely within the subdural space of the primate brain, SCOPe establishes a path toward human translation of a new generation of light‑based brain‑machine interfaces.

Abstract

Optical neurotechnologies use light to interface with neurons and can monitor and manipulate neural activity with high spatial-temporal precision over large cortical extents. While there has been significant progress in miniaturizing microscope for head-mounted configurations, these existing devices are still very bulky and could never be fully implanted. Any viable translation of these technologies to human use will require a much more noninvasive, fully implantable form factor. Here, we leverage advances in microelectronics and heterogeneous optoelectronic packaging to develop a transformative, ultrathin, miniaturized device for bidirectional optical stimulation and recording: the subdural CMOS Optical Probe (SCOPe). By being thin enough to lie entirely within the subdural space of the primate brain, SCOPe defines a path for the eventual human translation of a new generation of brain-machine interfaces based on light.