A WIRELESS BATTERYLESS IMPLANTABLE NEURALRECORDER

The mouse brain model is widely used to study various human neurological diseases due to short cycles, low cost, and similarity with human brain. Neuroscientists are looking for light and compact neural recorders that do not interfere with the natural mouse behavior, cause brain tissue damage or measurement artefacts. Existing neural recorders either require external wiring and battery, or are too bulky for animals to carry around freely, or require sound/light/vibration sources that may introduce distraction to the mouse and thus affect the experiment results. Although prior work has demonstrated RF energy harvesting for a wireless neural recorder, the device has a relatively large form factor, is too heavy and not flexible for the mouse with a few cubic mm brain volume to carry without affecting its behavior.

This work presents a wireless battery-less neural recording device that integrates 12 onchip neural microelectrodes and uses RF signals for powering and data communication. The

implantable device does not interfere with mouse behavior as it is wireless, flexible, and lighter than a feather (0.43 grams). The live neural recording experiment based on the recording device allows the mouse head to move freely and not needed to be fixed on the platform with a bone screw. The chip uses an average dc power of 104 μW provided by means of RF powering. Integrated with a flexible inkjet silver ink printed antenna, the device has been successfully tested in-vivo on a live mouse. Design and characterization of the system and its different components will be presented.