Array designs

A key feature of the implant device is the flexible design of the guide array holding the tetrodes and the silicon probes, similar to the flexDrive and Shuttle Drive array. When choosing the target area of interest the user should carefully plan the geometrical displacement of the tetrode tube arrays. The whole guide tube array can be glued at a specific angle to the drive body. This is possible thanks to the bendable properties of the silicon probe shaft, a key aspect of the Hybrid Drive’s design (Herwik et al., 2011). It facilitates the insertion of the probe in the guide array during drive building and provides additional protection from mechanical shocks, e.g., in the animal’s home cage or during experiments. Thanks to these features the position of the silicon probes relative to the tetrodes, or the angle of the overall assembly, can easily be modified depending on the brain areas under investigation. The position of the tetrodes and the silicon probes in the guide tube array can be mapped during drive building and, at the end of the experiments, it can be matched to the final recording location.

1. Dorsal CA1 design. 5x3 tube array covering the dorsal CA1 area along its proximo-distal axis.

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2. Distal CA1/Subiculum (dorsal hippocampus).

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3. Dual area implant. Parietal cortex and visual/para-hippocampal cortices.