Electrode array

A set of many tiny electrical contacts that record from, or stimulate, populations of neurons at the same time.

• Each contact picks up voltage spikes from neurons within roughly a tenth of a millimetre, a handful of cells.
• More channels capture more neurons and so more information; Neuralink's implant has 1,024 electrodes on 64 flexible threads.
• The brain reacts to implants with inflammation and scar tissue that can insulate contacts, and materials degrade over years.
• Sending high-channel data wirelessly is limited by power and heat, since brain tissue tolerates only about 1 °C of warming.