Advances in three-dimensional nanostructures for intracellular recordings from electrogenic cells

Abstract

The evolution of next-generation neural interfaces toward high-density, high-fidelity, and long-term recordings coupled with the advent of complex fabrication techniques drives the development of 3D nanostructures to bridge the neuron-artificial device interface. This is largely due to several observations of high signal-to-noise ratios recorded from high-aspect-ratio 3D nanoelectrodes enabled by an inimitable mechanical coupling with the neural membrane and, in some cases, direct access to the neural intracellular space. This review details progress in developing 3D electrodes for electrogenic cell interfaces. First, the impacts of nanotopography on the electrical and mechanical coupling of the cell and recording electrodes are discussed, and different conceptual approaches in understanding the biomechanics of cell/3D electrode coupling through experimental work and computational models are described. This work also highlights the latest advances in 3D nanostructures for recording the intracellular activity of cultured neurons and cardiomyocytes with a focus on emerging 3D structures and strategies aimed at improving efficiency and long-term integration with cultured electrogenic cells. © 2020 The Authors