Smart Dura: a functional artificial dura for multi-modal neural recording and modulation

A multi-modal neural interface capable of long-term recording and stimulation is essential for advancing brain monitoring and developing targeted therapeutics. Among traditional electrophysiological methods, micro-electrocorticography (μECoG) is appealing for chronic applications because it provides a good compromise between invasiveness and high-resolution neural recording. When combining μECoG with optical technologies, such as calcium imaging and optogenetics, this multi-modal approach enables simultaneous recording of neural activity from individual neurons and the ability to perform cell-specific manipulation. While previous efforts have focused on multi-modal interfaces for small animal models, scaling these technologies to larger primate brains remains challenging. In this paper, we present a multi-modal neural interface, named Smart Dura, a functional version of the commonly used artificial dura with integrated recording and stimulation electrodes for large cortical area coverage of the NHP brain. The Smart Dura is fabricated using a thin-film microfabrication process to monolithically integrate a micron-scale electrode array into a soft, flexible, and transparent substrate with high-density electrodes (up to 256 electrodes) while providing matched mechanical compliance with the native tissue and achieving high optical transparency (exceeding 98%). Our in vivo experiments demonstrate electrophysiological recording capabilities combined with neuromodulation, as well as optical transparency that enables structural and functional imaging. This work paves the way toward a chronic neural interface that can provide large-scale, bidirectional interfacing for multi-modal and closed-loop neuromodulation capabilities to study cortical brain activity in non-human primates, with the potential for translation to humans.