Abstract: During recent years, neuromorphic engineering has gained significant attraction due to its endeavor to reproduce attractive brain features such as high computational efficiency, low power consumption, functional and structural adaptability onto hardware devices for competitive computing development. Currently, most of these implementations are achieved with either standard silicon-based technologies (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) or more emerging material and devices (iono-electronic material s and memristor devices). Mainly, these technologies are produced by means of top-down approaches. In contrast, brain computing largely relies on self-assembling processes to interconnect cells and form pathways for neural networks communication. Thus, t o benefit more from neuromorphic features, there is a strong need to explore such devices that can rely on the same bottom-up approach as in the brain. Promising solutions for this question are gathered in organic electronic materials, more precisely in organic mixed ionic electronic conductors. This study is focused on the development of bottom-up fashioned 3D organic devices that are able to mimic biological neural network branching. By employing Alternating-Current (AC) bipolar electropolymerization, we show how one can synthesize polymer dendritic structures and tune its morphologies depending on various applied AC signals . Additionally, we show how dendritic devices may exhibit synaptic plasticity properties (short-term and long-term memory effec t). Finally, we demonstrate implementation of structural plasticity through spike-event activation AC-electropolymerization and the possibility to modify the weight of obtained dendritic connections with respect to spike rate intensity of the applied sig nals.

Abstract: Over the past few years, organic electronics - and especially organic mixed ionic electronic conductors (OMIECs) - has taken bio sensing and neuromorphic applications to a whole new level. However, one of the major limitations of the mainstream technolog ies today is that electronic circuits need to be pre-shaped according to the intended use and the expected outcome. This top-down approach, far from being flexible/adaptive, does not really make the most of the resources at hand, as it is hard to predict precisely where cells will be located. To counter that, we can either choose to increase the density and the number of electrodes, so that the entire area would be mapped, or shift from a top-down to a bottom-up approach which would allow for a more enl ightened decision-making process. Recently, the electrodeposition of PEDOT:PSS has been explored as a novel technique to grow conducting polymer films and fibers on non-conductive substrates. The work of Janzakova and coworkers took that concept a step f urther by using electropolymerization of EDOT as a way to create freestanding dendritic-like conductive fibers in a 3D environment, paving the way for in operando material modification, and in fine bottom-up fabrication routes that would be more adaptive and allow for more flexibility. Moreover, it was lately showed that these objects could work as Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs). Here, we explore the possibility of growing dendritic-like PEDOT fibers on Multielectrode Arrays (MEAs) via elec tropolymerization of EDOT. Electrophysiological measurements are based on the capacitive coupling between cells and the electrode material. In comparison with local electrodes, the dendritic objects present spatially distributed impedance due to the exte nsions of their dendritic branches interacting with the biological environment. We investigate the relation between morphology and impedance in these dendritic-like fibers by using a non-conventional Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) setup tha t will allow us to apply a potential difference between the two ends of the dendrites, thus studying how biasing them can affect their behavior. Moreover, it appears that dendritic fibers can be considered both as passive electrodes as well as active dev ices. We explore the use of these two strategies in the context of electrophysiological measurements. Finally, the ability to record biological signals results from the interaction between cells and an electrode. Unconventional objects such as dendrites present spatio-temporal filtering properties that could affect the recording of such signals. We investigate how tuning the impedance of a dendrite might be used to record efficiently bio-signals.

Abstract: The development of electronic devices such as microelectrode arrays (MEAs), used to record extracellularly simultaneous electrical activity of large populations of neurons is blooming. To enhance the quality of the recordings, the use of electrode made o f conducting polymer such as PEDOT has recently emerged for optimizing the performance of microelectrodes due to its mixed ionic electronic conduction, biocompatibility and low impedance. However, the extent to which these new interfaces can help the alg orithmic pipelines of spike sorting, i.e. turning extracellular potentials into individual spike trains remains unexplored. To address this issue, we checked if the physical positions of the neurons could be reliably inferred from extracellular electrica l recordings obtained by MEAs, and thus be exploited by downstreams spike sorting algorithms. To do so, we combine high resolution images of neuronal tissues and dense recordings performed via high performant electropolymerized electrodes based MEAs. Fir stly, we report the use of EDOT electropolymerization to tune post-fabrication material and geometrical parameters of passive microelectrodes. The process optimizes the cell/electrode interface by decreasing its impedance and improving its affinity with neurons: results demonstrate a better biocompatibility and improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (up to 40 dB). Thanks to the higher SNR, we were able to detect more cells in comparison with gold electrodes from the same neural network by using spike sort ing. Hence, the higher number of cells detected will lead into more accurate analysis of the localization of the active neurons on top of MEA. Secondly, by using these high performant MEAs, we investigated the possibility to accurately estimate the posit ions of the neurons solely from extracellular recordings by studying the correlation between electrical activity (obtained via spike sorting), optical imaging (Fluorescent) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of neural networks cultured on MEAs. By us ing the SpykingCircus software to spike sort the extracellular recordings, we estimated the positions of the neurons either by using the center of mass of their electrical signatures, or by inferring the positions assuming cells would behave as monopoles . By superposition of the fluorescent and the SEM images, we compared the observed physical positions of the neurons with the ones predicted by the two aforementioned methods. This approach showed the high accuracy of the monopole hypothesis compared to the center of mass. In this work, we showed how the use of a material engineering technique for optimizing state of art MEAs can enhance the quality of the recordings. Hence, the correlation of these high quality recordings with optical imaging paves the way towards new algorithmic possibilities for spike sorting algorithms that could make use of a more reliable estimation of neuronal positions.

Abstract: The development of electronic devices for neurosensing is leading to fundamental discoveries in communication setups for interfacing and computing the brain's electrical activity that is still a demanding task in the 21st century. One of the greatest cha llenges for efficient neurosensing is to ensure that detection/transduction between biochemically rich systems and tools is fully mastered to reliably gather relevant information. In extracellular devices such as microelectrode arrays (MEAs), the discord ance lies at the interface between ions and the electrodes. Engineering chemically/morphologically the electrode's materials by decreasing its impedance, improving its affinity with neurons, and boosting its biocompatibility ensures better cell/electrode interface conditions to find the right materials that detect ionic signals from neurons and transduce them into electronic signals with the lowest information loss. Hence, the use of conducting polymers (PEDOT) has emerged for optimizing the performance of microelectrodes in neurosensing due to its mixed ionic electronic conduction, biocompatibility and low impedance. In parallel to the development of passive microelectrode, organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have received lots of attention in the biosensing field since they exhibit high coupling with cells and signal amplification. Notably, the transconductance represents an important parameter that depends on geometrical and material parameters that rules largely OECTs performances in biose nsing. In this direction, we explore the use of EDOT electropolymerization to tune post-fabrication material and geometrical parameters of passive microelectrodes for optimizing the cell/electrode interface by decreasing its impedance and improving its a ffinity with neurons (increasing the resistance "Rseal" that represents the cell/electrode cleft). For electropolymerized PEDOT MEAs, we demonstrate long term and stable extracellular recording of primary cortical neurons with a record signal-to-noise ra tio (SNR) up to 37 dB (with ultra-low noise down to 2.1 μV RMS). Secondly, for active sensing with OECTs, this strategy exploits the concept of adaptive sensing where both transconductance and impedance are tuned simultaneously or independently. This approach shows an improvement of OECTs transconductance by 150-percent, volumetric capacitance by 300-percent, and a reduction in array's variability by 60-percent in comparison with standard spin-coated OECTs. The cytotoxicity of the electropolymerized EDOT was assessed for primary neural cells culture and no detrimental effect of electropolymerized EDOT on cell viability was observed. To extract the impedance and transconductance values for both MEAs and OECTs, we combine DC electrical measurements w ith electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). To show the cell/electrode morphology and neurite outgrowth to electropolymerized microelectrodes, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed. To correlate the morphological changes of the material with the enhancement of its electrical and electrochemical performances, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in liquid and Raman Spectroscopy were achieved. Finally, in-vitro extracellular recorded signals from entorhinal cortex cultured slices and primary cor tical neurons using both MEAs and OECTs are presented. The key novelty of this technique is to propose a post-fabrication material engineering technique that can be used to optimize both passive (MEAs) and active (OECTs) devices for extracellular recordi ng and promote new exploratory sensing strategies to ensure high quality neurosensing alternatives.

Abstract: Iono-electronic materials and devices are suscitating lots of interest from both bio-electronics and neuromorphic research communities. In the one hand, iono-electronic materials are offering attractive features such as bio-compatibility, water environme nt operation and efficient ionic to electronic signals transduction. In the other hand, functional devices based on such materials (organic electrochemical transistors, for instance) have shown multiple neuromorphic features from synaptic plasticity to d endritic integration. This talk will present how electropolymerization of PEDOT:PSS materials can be used in both a bio-electronic and a neuromorphic perspective. Electropolymerization of OECT sensors can indeed be advantageously used for optimizing / tu ning the iono-electronic responses of organic electrochemical transistors, thus paving the way to plastic electrophysiological sensors. Notably, we will show how transconductance and volumetric capacitance are evolving with potenstiostatic electropolymer ization. Secondly, bipolar AC electropolymerization can be used to engineer dendritic-like fibers of PEDOT:PSS. Such unconventional structures can implement various neuromorphic concept such as structural plasticity and synaptic plasticity. Finally, comp uting task taking advantage of both electropolymerized sensors and neuromorphic computing will present temporal patterns classification with reservoir computing approach.