Neural Noise- A review surveys deep-brain electrode arrays for simultaneous detection and modulation of neural information in primates.1
- Record-and-modulate technology in primates is directly relevant to next-generation neuroprosthetics and DBS.1
- Primate work informs human device design and clinical trial design.1 1
Weekly enrichment (2026-07-20)
- The Google News item resolves to a review in Cyborg and Bionic Systems (2024, doi 10.34133/cbsystems.0249; corresponding author Xinxia Cai) surveying electrode-array devices for both electrophysiological and electrochemical detection in primate deep brain.2
- The review frames the primate challenge quantitatively: rhesus-monkey brain volume is 79.1 ± 3.4 cm³ versus 1298.9 ± 52.0 cm³ in humans, the skull vertex-to-base distance in rhesus is ~50 mm, and the macaque subthalamic nucleus (a DBS target) sits ~32–36 mm deep, demanding longer, mechanically stronger probes than rodent devices.2
- Utah-array electrodes are only ~1–2 mm long and stay in cortex; reaching deep nuclei requires silicon probes, microwire arrays, or flexible arrays inserted with microdrives or stiffening aids.2
- Device types surveyed include tungsten/platinum microwires, Michigan-style silicon probes (mostly acute), and flexible polyimide/parylene arrays; the Neuralink flexible array (3,072 gold sites) and a 128-channel thin-film electrode recording to ~10 cm depth are cited as high-channel examples.2
- The arrays support dual-mode sensing — spikes and local field potentials plus electrochemical detection of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate using carbon-fiber, carbon-nanotube, and enzyme-modified ceramic microelectrodes.2
- Deep targets are tied to disease models (thalamus/hippocampus for epilepsy; basal ganglia/striatum for Parkinson’s and DBS), and the authors identify flexibility, higher resolution, deeper reach, and higher throughput as the main development directions.2
- For context, the Neuropixels 1.0-NHP high-density silicon probe (2,496 electrodes on a 25 mm shank or 4,416 on a 45 mm shank, 384 selectable channels) has recorded over 3,000 single neurons in one macaque session, illustrating the scale that primate deep-brain arrays are now reaching.3