Neural interfacing devices using penetrating microelectrode arrays have emerged as an important tool in both neuroscience research and medical applications. These implantable microelectrode arrays enable communication between man-made devices and the nervous system by detecting and/or evoking neuronal activities. Recent years have seen rapid development of electrodes fabricated using flexible, ultrathin carbon-based microfibers. Compared to electrodes fabricated using rigid materials and larger cross-sections, these microfiber electrodes have been shown to reduce foreign body responses after implantation, with improved signal-to-noise ratio for neural recording and enhanced resolution for neural stimulation. Here, we review recent progress of carbon-based microfiber electrodes in terms of material composition and fabrication technology. The remaining challenges and future directions for development of these arrays will also be discussed. Overall, these microfiber electrodes are expected to improve the longevity and reliability of neural interfacing devices.

Objective . Retinal prosthetic devices hold great promise for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Through electrical stimulation of the surviving retinal neurons, these devices evoke visual signals that are then relayed to the brain. Currently, the visual prostheses used in clinical trials have few electrodes, thus limiting visual acuity. Electrode arrays with high electrode densities have been developed using novel technologies, including diamond growth and laser machining, and these may provide a more promising route to achieve high visual acuity in blind patients. Approach . Here, we studied the potential spatial resolution of electrical stimulation using diamond electrodes. We did this by labeling retinal ganglion cells in whole mount retina with a calcium indicator in wild-type rats and those with retinal degeneration. We imaged the ganglion cell responses to a range of stimulation parameters, including pulse duration and return electrode configuration. Main results . With sub-retinal stimulation, in which electrodes were in contact with the intact or degenerated photoreceptor layer, we found that biphasic pulses of 0.1 ms phase duration and a local return configuration was the most effective in confining the retinal ganglion cell activation patterns, while also remaining within the safety limits of the materials and providing the best power efficiency. Significance . These results provide an optimized stimulation strategy for retinal implants, which if implemented in a retinal prosthetic is expected to improve the achievable visual acuity.

Objective. Retinal prostheses have had limited success in vision restoration through electrical stimulation of surviving retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the degenerated retina. This is partly due to non-preferential stimulation of all RGCs near a single stimulating electrode, which include cells that conflict in their response properties and their contribution to visiual processing. Our study proposes a stimulation strategy to preferentially stimulate individual RGCs based on their temporal electrical receptive fields (tERFs). Approach. We recorded the responses of RGCs using whole-cell patch clamping and demonstrated the stimulation strategy, first using intracellular stimulation, then via extracellular stimulation. Main results . We successfully reconstructed the tERFs according to the RGC response to Gaussian white noise current stimulation. The characteristics of the tERFs were extracted and compared based on the morphological and light response types of the cells. By re-delivering stimulation trains that were composed of the tERFs obtained from different cells, we could preferentially stimulate individual RGCs as the cells showed lower activation thresholds to their own tERFs. Significance. This proposed stimulation strategy implemented in the next generation of recording and stimulating retinal prostheses may improve the quality of artificial vision.

Objective . Retinal prostheses aim to restore vision in patients with retinal degenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. By implanting an array of microelectrodes, such a device creates percepts in patients through electrical stimulation of surviving retinal neurons. A challenge for retinal prostheses when trying to return high quality vision is the unintended activation of retinal ganglion cells through the stimulation of passing axon bundles, which leads to patients reporting large, elongated patches of light instead of focal spots. Approach. In this work, we used calcium imaging to record the responses of retinal ganglion cells to electrical stimulation in explanted retina using rectangular electrodes placed with different orientations relative to the axon bundles. Main results. We showed that narrow, rectangular electrodes oriented parallel to the axon bundles can achieve focal stimulation. To further improve the strategy, we studied the impact of different stimulation waveforms and electrode configurations. We found the selectivity for focal stimulation to be higher when using short (33 μ s), anodic-first biphasic pulses, with long electrode lengths and at least 50 μ m electrode-to-retinal separation. Focal stimulation was, in fact, less selective when the electrodes made direct contact with the retinal surface due to unwanted preferential stimulation of the proximal axon bundles. Significance . When employed in retinal prostheses, the proposed stimulation strategy is expected to provide improved quality of vision to the blind.