Intracortical BCIs: A Brief History of Neural Timing

Abstract

In this chapter, we will explore the option of using neural activity recorded from tiny arrays of hair-thin microelectrodes inserted a few millimeters into the brain itself. These tiny electrodes are small and sensitive enough to detect the firing activity of individual neurons. The ability to record individual neurons is unique to recording technologies that penetrate the brain. These microelectrodes are also small enough that many hundreds of them can be implanted in the brain at one time without displacing much tissue. Therefore, the activity patterns of hundreds or even thousands of individual neurons could potentially be detected and used for brain–computer interfacing (BCI) applications.