Ultrasensitive measurement of brain penetration mechanics and blood vessel rupture with microscale probes
Abstract
Microscale electrodes, on the order of 10 to 100 µm, are rapidly becoming critical tools for neuroscience and brain-machine interfaces for their high channel counts and spatial resolution, yet the mechanical details of how probes at this scale insert into brain tissue are largely unknown. Here, we performed quantitative measurements of the force and compression mechanics together with real-time microscopy for in vivo insertion of a systematic series of microelectrode probes as a function of diameter (7.5 to 100 µm and rectangular Neuropixels) and tip geometry (flat, angled, and electrochemically sharpened). These results elucidated the role of tip geometry, surface forces, and mechanical scaling with diameter. Surprisingly, the insertion force postpia penetration was constant with distance and did not depend on tip shape. Real-time microscopy revealed that at small enough lengthscales (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
Neurological disorders and treatments
Electrochemical Analysis and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Volume
- 123
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- e2529147123–e2529147123
- Publication date
- 26 March 2026
- Language
- EN