Measuring Neuronal Signal Speed Using Microelectronic Chips

(ETH Zurich, July 19, 2013)

Large variations in the speed of signals within an axon, the cable-like extension of the nerve cell that transfers electrical pulses to and from the brain, have been measured using a microelectrode array chip. Exactly why such variations in velocity pattern exist remains to be elucidated. However, Professor Andreas Hierlemann of ETH Zurich’s Biosystems Science and Engineering Group is optimistic about the potential of the chip they have been developing over the last ten years. The chip’s ability to measure details of axonal signal conduction at extremely high resolution may lead to a further understanding of how neurons adapt to new information and their processing abilities.