Breakthrough Wireless Microsystem Tracks Brain Activity and Dopamine in Real Time

A team of researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has created a new wireless microsystem. The device can monitor brain activity and dopamine-related signals at the same time. It marks a significant step forward in neuroscience technology. The microsystem combines a specialised electrophysiological chip with an AD5941 electrochemical front end. Control is managed by an intelligent dual-controller setup, featuring a field-programmable gate array and an ESP32 microcontroller. Data for electrophysiological and electrochemical signals is sent simultaneously through separate TCP ports to prevent interference and maintain accuracy.

The device includes 32 independent electrophysiological channels and integrates dopamine-sensitive pathways within the same compact design. Materials such as reduced graphene oxide, Nafion, platinum nanoparticles, and PEDOT:PSS enhance its sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. In lab tests, it demonstrated reliable dopamine detection, neurochemical selectivity, and wireless data transmission over distances of up to 25 metres.

Testing in live rats showed dose-dependent changes in brain activity and dopamine levels when dexmedetomidine was administered. The research team, led by Peiyao Jiao, Yilin Song, and others, now plans further improvements. These include embedding custom integrated circuits for miniaturisation, adding multimodal closed-loop control, and expanding the system’s capacity to monitor multiple brain regions at once. The microsystem has been validated in both lab and in vivo settings. Its ability to track brain signals and dopamine simultaneously offers new possibilities for neuroscience research. Future versions aim to be smaller, more versatile, and capable of broader applications.