EEG is currently gaining diagnostic power thanks to rapidly advancing computational technology. Indeed, the latest trends in EEG research come with signal analysis capable of detecting biomarkers of serious mental illnesses. The future of psychopharmacology lies in its ability to design tools capable of screening new drugs in preclinical trials in the most standardized and efficient way.
In rodent models, however, there is substantial lack of methodological consensus in EEG recording. There are several technical challenges state of the art rodent electrophysiology face. First, various electrode layouts have been used across studies and obtained results are thus hard to compare. Further, as electrode implantation is an invasive process affecting brain tissue, host-probe interactions are being triggered, influencing the signal quality over time. Quality of performed surgery is still a piece of practice and is determined by the skill of the surgeon.
Therefore, we aim at bringing new approaches to rats by using a 3D printed biocompatible multi-electrode system, complex electrical models, optimized electrode layout closely tight with advanced computational analysis, such as electrical source imaging, evoked signal tracking, and functional connectivity analysis.
In our contribution, a concept of a new generation of fully implantable technology for pre-clinical research will be introduced. Recent progress in the key technical challenges such as the first 3D printed testing prototype, anisotropic brain models, singular value optimization approach and electrical source imaging techniques will be presented.