CAREER: A Wireless Implantable Microsystem with Ultra Wideband Communication Capability for High-Density Brain Monitoring

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Understanding the inner workings of the brain remains one of the last frontiers in all of neurobiology. Large gaps in our knowledge exist, because of the inherent difficulty in studying brain function. Indeed, this organ, which contains trillions of neurons, intricately interconnected, is decidedly complex. The brain also fundamentally works by a combination of fast information- carrying electrical signals called action potentials, and chemical neurotransmitters acting on fast time scales in microscopic conjunctions between neurons called synapses. It is thus not surprising that the development of new techniques for monitoring brain activity is critical to the continued success in advancing the field of neurobiology. This CAREER project focuses on new instrumentation supporting microsensor measurements for the study of the brain . Great strides have been made over the last few years in developing multisite microsensors for monitoring both the chemical and electrical signals in the brain. In sharp contrast, development of instruments supporting these powerful new microsensors has lagged behind considerably. The two main technical limitations of existing devices are large size and high power needs. Specifically in this CAREER project, a miniaturized low-power device will be developed to support neurobiological experiments in small laboratory animals. This new instrument will simultaneously record from multiple microsensors measuring neurotransmitters and action potentials in real time, i.e., as these signals happen, during behavior. A state-of-the-art engineering method called very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) will be used to fabricate the device, roughly the size of a common cold capsule. Because of its small size and low power consumption, miniature batteries can serve as the power supply. To permit natural behavior by the animal during experiments, this device will be safely implanted under the skin and will transmit recorded brain signals wirelessly using an ultra wideband (UWB) telemetry link. The new device will be further tested in animal experiments investigating the role of dopamine in goal-directed behavior. This important neurotransmitter is critically involved in the brain functions of motivation and learning, yet its precise role has eluded definition despite decades of extensive study. In the short-term, project information such as system architecture, design schematics, performance assessment results, and neurobiological findings will be disseminated through publications/presentations in journals/conferences that target engineering and neuroscience communities. In the long-term, the PI will seek to make the device available to qualified researchers in the scientific community through commercialization. Such devices should ultimately be commercially viable, due to the interest they will receive from a broad base of investigators working in the neuroscience fields, but also because they can evolve to accommodate additional sensor technologies that emerge in the future. As part of the educational plan of this CAREER project, undergraduate and graduate students will be trained to conduct interdisciplinary research in engineering and science. Moreover, this CAREER project recognizes the importance of an integrated approach to value creation, spanning the continuum of innovative ideas to start-up enterprise creation. Therefore, a centerpiece of its educational effort is to provide engineering students with a mechanism to learn the fundamentals of technology opportunity assessment. This will provide an invaluable opportunity for the students to thoroughly assess their research ideas from both the technological feasibility and commercialization viability standpoints. They are expected to learn that there are not many 'absolute truths', but numerous best practices and benchmarks that can help the entrepreneurial engineer.