Implantable Recording and Integrated Stimulation (IRIS) device for cortical experiments

Abstract
We propose to build a hermetically sealed implantable stimulation and recording system to enable
closed-loop experiments while mitigating the need for percutaneous leads. The IRIS (Implantable
Recording with Integrated Stimulation) is a fully implantable system capable of both stimulating
and recording on large numbers of channels (96 channels). Our implantable technology will
provide primate researchers with the ability to perform long-duration experiments without risking
animal or investigator safety. These experiments will pave the way towards developing novel
translational solutions involving both recording and stimulation.
Current electrophysiological recording and stimulation systems require percutaneous pedestals
that present a constant danger of infection, a source of distraction and irritation to the animal, and
require extensive attention from investigators to clean and maintain. Infection is the leading cause
of implant failure, and annually results in enormous costs in terms of both investigator’s time and
monetary resources. Ripple proposes to develop the Grapevine IRIS to address this problem.
Ripple has developed component technologies as part of other ongoing development projects,
including: telemetry protocols for robust inductive powering and high-bandwidth transmission of
neural signals via IR, advanced amplifier chips capable of low-noise, low-power performance for
detecting neural signals, a stimulation chip optimized for implantable neural interface applications,
and a system architecture for portable programmable neural interface experiments. In this project,
we will combine these components into a small implantable hermetic package to enable
transformative experiments to increase the understanding of dynamic signaling in the nervous
system.Narrative
Understanding the dynamics of neural activity requires new tools to record and manipulate neural signals in real-
time in cortical electrophysiology experiments. We proposed to develop the Grapevine IRIS (Implantable
Recording with Integrated Stimulation) system to provide a research platform to enable longer, safer, and better
chronic animal studies.