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Organic event-based sensors detect neural activity with low energy

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Research area:psychology-neuroscienceneuroscience-neuroengineering

What the study found

The study reports an organic electrochemical neuron-based sensor that can detect neural activity rapidly and with low energy use. The authors say it can also support closed-loop neurostimulation, meaning sensing and stimulation are linked in real time.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that these sensors are candidates for the next generation of implantable bioelectronics in energy-constrained environments. They suggest the combination of biorealistic operation and ultra-low energy use is important for this use case.

What the researchers tested

The researchers developed an organic electrochemical neuron (OECN)-based event-driven sensor, a type of sensor that converts neural activity into electrical events. They tested its response speed, voltage pulse rate, and energy use, and integrated it with microelectrodes for in vivo neurostimulation experiments.

What worked and what didn't

The sensors responded within about 1 millisecond and produced voltage pulses up to 1.1 kHz, covering the stated 0.5-1,000 Hz bandwidth of mammalian neuronal activity. They used about 40 pJ per spike, and the abstract says they accurately detected hippocampal interictal epileptiform discharges and suppressed pathological sleep spindle oscillations in vivo with real-time stimulation. The abstract also notes that conventional silicon interfaces are rigid and energy intensive, while earlier OECN-based sensors had been limited by slow firing rates, high energy use, and scalability challenges.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not provide detailed study limitations, sample sizes, or long-term performance data. It also does not describe how broadly the results would generalize beyond the specific neural signals and in vivo conditions reported.

Key points

  • The study reports an OECN-based sensor for real-time neural detection and closed-loop neurostimulation.
  • The sensor responded within about 1 millisecond and used about 40 pJ per spike.
  • The abstract says the device produced voltage pulses up to 1.1 kHz.
  • Accurate detection of hippocampal interictal epileptiform discharges was demonstrated.
  • Integrated with microelectrodes, the system delivered real-time stimulation to suppress pathological sleep spindle oscillations in vivo.

Disclosure

Research title:
Organic event-based sensors detect neural activity with low energy
Authors:
C.-L. Yang, Zifang Zhao, Han-Yan Wu, Dace Gao, Junda Huang, Junpeng Ji, Miao Xiong, Tiefeng Liu, Padinhare Cholakkal Harikesh, Adam Marks, Xin-Yi Wang, Matteo Massetti, Shao Shan, Jian Pei, Iain McCulloch, Magnus Berggren, Deyu Tu, Jennifer N. Gelinas, Dion Khodagholy, Simone Fabiano
Institutions:
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Columbia University, Cornell University, Irvine University, Irvine University, Irvine University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Linköping University, Princeton University, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Irvine, University of Oxford, University of Oxford, Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Wallenberg Wood Science Center
Publication date:
2026-01-15
DOI:
10.1038/s44460-025-00007-x
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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