Neuron-like electronics measure brain signals

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Researchers at Harvard University wanted to record the activity of individual neurons in mice without damaging surrounding tissue. The problem is the flexibility and size of electrodes often used for such measurements do not match that of the neurons they’re recording. This mismatch can trigger an immune response within the tissue, damaging it. To avoid that damage, grad student Xiao Yang, chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber, and coworkers designed a probe that mimics the structure and mechanics of neurons (Nat. Mater. 2019, DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0292-9). Lieber’s group had previously made mesh probes with similar stiffness as brain tissue. Those probes were similar in size to the cell body of the neurons but larger than all other cell structures, such as axons, the long, wirelike parts that transmit electrical signals. Yang made the new probes with platinum electrodes that are about the same size as the cell body of neurons. She connected