• We are designing flexible substrate meicroelectrode arrays that will provide strain relief to the implanted electrode and potentially improve long term viability.

• Technological advances in microelectrode neural probes have great potential to benefit patients with neurological diseases and injuries because they allow for direct interfacing and intervention with neurons of the nervous system. The interface design involves chronically collecting neural activity directly from the cortex of the brain, interpreting its information, and delivering therapy via an electronic interface. Such devices have the potential to allow paralyzed individuals to communicate with the external world via computer control or direct control of prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.

• This project aims at designing novel micromachining techniques for polymer-based flexible substrate microelectrodes as well as defining requirements for recording amplification systems and the electrode material. Much effort is going into the electrochemical characterization of the metal/electrode interface via electrochemical impedance spectrocsopy which will identify the possibility of corrosion reactions for various metals.
• All efforts are in attempt to further the field of chronic neural recording for neuroprosthetic therapies.

Patrick, E., Ordonez, M., Batich, C., Sanchez, J.C., and Nishida, T., "Design and Fabrication of Flexible Substrate Microelectrode Array for Brain Machine Interfaces," IEEE EMBS, New York, NY, August 2006.

Patrick, E., Perez-Garcia, N., Orazem, M., Sanchez, J., and Nishida, T., "Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy of Neural Probe Polymer Insulation," 209th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Denver, Colorado, , May 2006.