Relationship between microelectrode array impedance and chronic recording quality of single units and local field potentials

Practical application of intracortical microelectrode technology is currently hindered by the inability to reliably record neuronal signals chronically. The precise mechanism of device failure is still under debate, but most likely includes some combination of tissue reaction, mechanical failure, and chronic material degradation. Impedance is a measure of the ease with which current flows through a working electrode under a driving voltage. Impedance has been hypothesized to provide information about an electrode's surrounding tissue reaction as well as chronic insulation degradation. In this study, we investigated the relationship between an electrode's impedance and its chronic recording performance as measured by the number of isolatable single units and the quality of local field potential recordings. Two 64-channel electrode arrays implanted in separate monkeys were assessed. We found no simple relationship between impedance and recording quality that held for both animals across all time periods. This suggests that future investigations on the topic should adopt a more fine-grained within-day and within-animal analysis. We also found new evidence from local field potential spatial correlation supporting the theory that insulation degradation is an important contributor to electrode failure.