Extracellular Recording of Entire Neural Networks Using a Dual-Mode Microelectrode Array With 19 584 Electrodes and High SNR

Electrophysiological research on neural networks and their activity focuses on the recording and analysis of large data sets that include information of thousands of neurons. CMOS microelectrode arrays (MEAs) feature thousands of electrodes at a spatial resolution on the scale of single cells and are, therefore, ideal tools to support neural-network research. Moreover, they offer high spatio-temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to capture all features and subcellular-resolution details of neuronal signaling. Here, we present a dual-mode (DM) MEA, which enables simultaneous: 1) full-frame readout from all electrodes and 2) high-SNR readout from an arbitrarily selectable subset of electrodes. The DM-MEA includes 19 584 electrodes, 19 584 full-frame recording channels with noise levels of 10.4 μVrms in the action potential (AP) frequency band (300 Hz-5 kHz), 246 low-noise recording channels with noise levels of 3.0 μVrms in the AP band and eight stimulation units. The capacity to simultaneously perform full-frame and high-SNR recordings endows the presented DM-MEA with great flexibility for various applications in neuroscience and pharmacology.