ECoGScope: An Integrated Platform for Real-Time Electrophysiology and Fluorescence Imaging

Abstract

In this study, we introduce the ECoGScope platform, a multifunctional neural interface designed to address to overcome the challenges that have historically hindered the integration of multiple functions in neural interfaces, thereby impeding progress in neural network research. The ECoGScope combines an electrocorticography (ECoG) electrode array with a commercial microendoscope, enabling the simultaneous recording of ECoG signals and fluorescent imaging. The mesh-structured electrodes, made from highly flexible and transparent polymers, ensure conformal contact with the brain surface, facilitating the optical monitoring of neural activity in parallel with ECoG signal recordings. A critical feature of the ECoGScope is its compact connection module, engineered to securely integrate the ECoG array and microendoscope, thereby minimizing any impact on animal behavior. The efficacy of the device has been demonstrated across the visual, somatosensory, and medial prefrontal cortical regions, providing new opportunities for simultaneous electrophysiological and fluorescence measurements. Ultimately, this work supports the development of novel multifunctional systems for studying brain function and the treatment of neurological diseases.