ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the architecture and performances of the Asic for General Neurons Electrical Study (AGNES) application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) integrated into the BioMEA system. AGNES is a 64-channel CMOS ASIC for multielectrode array (MEA)-based in-vitro applications and is capable of performing either waveform recording or current stimulation or both simultaneously. The MEA probes are connected to the ASIC's bidirectional ports. The recording channels are each made of a low-noise gain-selectable amplifier followed by a sample-and-hold circuit operated simultaneously on every channel. The bandwidth of the amplifier is 0.08 Hz–3 kHz. Electrical stimulation delivered in the form of a current can trigger or alter neural activity. Eight digital stimulation patterns stored off-chip are individually selectable for each channel to allow the user to apply any of the eight possible patterns. The BioMEA system has been successfully interfaced with several types of MEA from different manufacturers such as ESIEE, Ayanda, or Neuronexus.
