DETECTION OF CELL-ACTIVITY VIA ISFET DEVICES - MODELING AND COMPUTER-SIMULATIONS

The characterization of the electrochemical behaviour of several distinct excitable cells in a population of cultured cells is a key point for the understanding of the development and stabilization of organized networks of cells. This knowledge represents a fundamental step for both basic research areas (neural computation) and clinical applications (functional prostheses). In this paper, we propose the use of ISFET devices for detecting the electrochemical activity of excitable cells cultured in vitro. After a short review of the various kinds of microelectrodes described in the literature, the paper will be focused on modelling and computer simulations of the responses of ISFET devices to cellular activity, under various approximations. An ad hoc modification to the simulation program SPICE is used in order to extend the simulation of integrated devices behaviour to the recording of the activity of a single cell. The values of the simulated drain currents suggest the feasibility of the proposed approach. © 1990.