Design of an integrated microelectrode array system for high spatiotemporal resolution chemical imaging

There has been a growing interest in electrochemical measurement of the output from biological specimens. With the advent of silicon CMOS technology, it is possible to measure target molecule release and movement through extra cellular space using microelectrode arrays (MEAs). While MEAs have been used for electrophysiological measurements, their use for electrochemistry in physiological studies have only been explored more recently. This paper presents a unique design of a high-density MEA and its supporting circuits to acquire images of chemical gradients using electrochemical methods. Heat-map image acquisition is supported at the system level with custom designed MATLAB tools for data-to-image processing. The detection range of chemical concentrations is illustrated with experimental results demonstrating capture of neurotransmitter release from live adrenal slices.