MedicalXpress: High-resolution probe reveals new brain secrets

Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, along with colleagues from other countries, studied a new probe that records signals from neurons with unprecedented clarity and accuracy, and concluded that it will help to understand how brain cells interact with each other. This is reported by the publication Medicalxpress, citing data from the journal Nature Neuroscience.

According to research, the probe will help lay the groundwork for a better understanding of how the brain works, the origins of neurological diseases, and more.

In 2017, the Belgian company IMEC, together with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, introduced the Neuropixels probe, a tool for recording the activity of brain cells or neurons. “The Neuropixels device has revolutionized the field of neuroscience,” said neuroscientist and study lead author Angelica Polk.

It is noted that earlier technologies for recording the activity of neurons were created on the basis of relatively large electrodes, which could measure the activity of thousands of brain cells at the same time, but gave a blurry image. Neuropixels is much smaller (about three human hairs thick), but has much better resolution. “It’s like recording hundreds of individual voices, each with its own microphone,” Polk drew an analogy.

The purpose of the Nature Neuroscience report was to develop methods for using a modified Neuropixels probe to record brain activity in patients undergoing neurosurgery. The medical team was able to successfully record brain activity in three patients, one of whom was being treated for epilepsy and the other two had implants to treat movement disorders.