Smart multimodal neuroscience platform for enabling untethered behavioural experiments

智能多模式神经科学平台，可实现不受束缚的行为实验

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05909
• 负责人: Gosselin, Benoit
• 金额: $ 2.62万
• 依托单位: Université Laval
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=686815
• 关键词: Smart; multimodal; neuroscience; platform; enabling

This program aims to develop new tools that will significantly ease and accelerate discovery of innovative therapeutics against neurodegenerative diseases through advanced wireless, multimodal, brain-interfacing technology. We propose to develop an innovative wireless platform to extract the direct brain responses to drugs in real time by probing brain microcircuits of freely behaving rodents with high spatial resolution, and at millisecond time-scale, through single cell electrophysiology technology, optogenetic capabilities, and brain imaging means, all combined within a single chronically implantable device.***This smart platform includes a lightweight wireless brain-computer interface (BMI) that is implantable in the body of mice and a wireless power transmission system to avoid frequent animal manipulations. A custom CMOS integrated circuits developed by our team will provide this BMI with large-scale sensing, optogenetic stimulation and fluorescence imaging capability, as well as intelligence, to interface with a new multifunctional BioMEMS that will give access to large groups of neurons at the micro and nano scale. We anticipate to scale down the size, the weight and the energy consumption of this BMI to unprecedented levels (1 cm3, 1g and 10 mW, respectively) by exploiting CMOS technology and multitechnology integration. All components will be developed through CMC Microsystems' academic services and integrated within a chronically implantable, autonomous microsystem, at the Advanced Biomedical Microsystem Integration Facility of the ECE Dept. in Laval University. ***In addition to enable several innovations and to address key challenges in microsystem design, wireless communications, energy harvesting and biomedical engineering, this program will develop a unique and world-class expertise in wireless instrumentation technology that will become the corner stone for the development of optogenetics and neuroscience research platforms for medicine and biomedical industries in Canada. This new technology will provide a unique platform to accelerate ground breaking research towards new treatments for brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, depression, and chronic pain, by enabling observation of brain microcircuits of freely behaving subjects in real time, which will have a measurable impact on the wealth of Canadians by reducing costs of healthcare, enabling new therapies and providing new tools to advance research. Indeed, the capability of precisely measuring the direct response of the brain to drugs at the scale of individual neurons at millisecond time-scale, yet during behaviour, will provide a direct performance indicator to increase drugs efficiency. On the long term, this research will leave a durable contribution by training, hiring, and retaining highly qualified personnel in biomedical engineering.

该计划旨在开发新工具，通过先进的无线、多模式、脑接口技术，显着简化和加速针对神经退行性疾病的创新疗法的发现。我们建议开发一种创新的无线平台，通过单细胞电生理学技术、光遗传学能力和大脑，以高空间分辨率探测自由行为的啮齿类动物的大脑微电路，并在毫秒时间尺度上实时提取大脑对药物的直接反应。成像手段，全部结合在一个可长期植入的设备中。***该智能平台包括可植入小鼠体内的轻型无线脑机接口（BMI）和无线电力传输系统，以避免频繁的动物操作。我们团队开发的定制 CMOS 集成电路将为该 BMI 提供大规模传感、光遗传学刺激和荧光成像功能以及智能，以与新型多功能 BioMEMS 接口，从而能够访问微处的大量神经元。和纳米级。我们预计通过利用 CMOS 技术和多技术集成，将该 BMI 的尺寸、重量和能耗缩小到前所未有的水平（分别为 1 cm3、1g 和 10 mW）。所有组件都将通过 CMC Microsystems 的学术服务开发，并集成在拉瓦尔大学 ECE 系高级生物医学微系统集成设施中的长期可植入自主微系统中。 ***除了实现多项创新并解决微系统设计、无线通信、能量收集和生物医学工程方面的关键挑战外，该计划还将开发无线仪器技术方面独特的世界级专业知识，这将成为该领域的基石。为加拿大医学和生物医学行业开发光遗传学和神经科学研究平台。这项新技术将提供一个独特的平台，通过实时观察自由行为受试者的大脑微电路，加速针对阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病、癫痫、抑郁症和慢性疼痛等脑部疾病新疗法的突破性研究，这将通过降低医疗保健成本、实现新疗法并提供新工具来推进研究，对加拿大人的财富产生可衡量的影响。事实上，在行为过程中以毫秒时间尺度精确测量大脑对药物的直接反应的能力将为提高药物效率提供直接的性能指标。从长远来看，这项研究将通过培训、雇用和留住生物医学工程领域的高素质人才留下持久的贡献。