Electrical imaging of neuronal activity by multi-transistor-array (MTA) recording at 7.8 μm resolution

We report on a novel method for two-dimensional electrical mapping of neuronal activity using a 1 mm(2) array of 16384 sensor field-effect transistors fabricated by an extended CMOS (complementary metal oxide silicon) technology. The contact from neurons to chip is made by an insulating oxide on the chip surface that provides a purely capacitive drive of the sensor transistors. As a test system for multi-transistor-array (MTA) recording we use cultured neurons from the pond snail. We present electrical maps of an individual neuron and of a small neuronal network at a resolution of 7.8 mum. MTA recording provides a tool for imaging the network dynamics of cultured nerve cells and brain slices for studies in neurobiology and biosensorics.