Large-scale, High-Density Recordings in the Primate Brain

Recent advances in neuronal recording technology have facilitated the development of large-scale, high-density microelectrode arrays resulting in a substantial increase (>10x) in the number of neurons that can be studied simultaneously within a localized area of neural tissue. A prime example is the recent development of the Neuropixels probe, which consists of a high-channel count Si shank with continuous, dense, programmable recording sites (~1000/cm). Neuropixels probes have transformed neurophysiological studies in rodent models by enabling recording from large populations of neurons anywhere in the rodent brain. However, their utility in other model systems, particularly nonhuman primates (NHP), which more closely model human brain function, has been limited. I will first talk about the recently developed NHP Neuropixels probes, which were designed to enable flexible and configurable recordings from large populations of neurons throughout the entire macaque brain with single-neuron resolution. Next, I will describe a specific scientific question we recently addressed that leverages these new capabilities.