Ultrasmall and customizable multichannel electrodes for extracellular recordings

Increasing demand exists for smaller multichannel electrodes that enable simultaneous recordings of many neurons in a noninvasive manner. We report a novel method for manufacturing ultrasmall carbon fiber electrodes with up to seven closely spaced recording sites. The electrodes were designed to minimize damage to neuronal circuitry and to be fully customizable in three dimensions so that their dimensions can be optimally matched to those of the targeted neuron population.