Modular ASIC-based System for Large-scale Electrical Stimulation and Recording of Brain Activity in Behaving Animals

M. Szypulska, M. Dwużnik, P. Wiącek, A. Skoczeń, T. Fiutowski, M. Jędraczka, J. Dusik, M.I. Ahmed, W. Dąbrowski, P. Hottowy (AGH Univ. of Science and Techn., Poland), E. Kublik (Nencki Inst. of Experimental Biology, Poland)

We present a design and first test results of a novel microelectronic system for large-scale electrical stimulation and recording of brain activity in the behaving animals. The system is based on a new 64-channel ASIC being designed in the AMS 0.35 µm CMOS process and is compatible with all modern multielectrode silicon probes for brain research. It allows to record neuronal activity at up to 512 electrodes and to generate complex, arbitrarily defined sequences of stimulation pulses across all the electrodes. Modular design makes it possible to communicate simultaneously with neuronal circuits in several brain areas, providing direct information about functional connectivities between different brain regions.