Chung, J.E. et al. Neuron 101, 21–31 (2019)

Electrophysiology systems for use in rodents in the past were often limited: they could record the activity of many single neurons but for only a short time, while recording longer often meant giving up some spatial resolution. But a new tool from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco improves both the temporal and spatial performance of a single set up. The team built an electrophysiology system from polymer probes (more biocompatible than microwires) that are arranged into 16 modules that can be placed throughout different regions of the brain. The modules are forked, and each fork can record activity from 4 locations, adding up to 1,024 recording channels. The system recorded electrophysiology data from individual neurons in freely behaving rats for up to 160 days.