# NeuropixelsUltra: Dense arrays for stable, unbiased, and cell type-specific electrical imaging

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $1,111,166

## Abstract

Summary/Abstract
Understanding the neural mechanisms underpinning cognition and behavior requires the
ability to measure the dynamics and interactions of populations of neurons spread across
many brain regions. Electrophysiological techniques provide the ability to measure this
activity across superficial and deep structures at the speed of thought. Recent advances in
electrophysiology have massively increased data quantity, quality, and ease of acquisition,
thereby meaningfully reducing barriers to understanding the global brain circuits underlying
behavior. A significant remaining challenge is to optimize device characteristics in order to
further broaden utility, improve data quality, and accelerate the pace of research. In
particular, state of the art site density is spatially too coarse to detect some cell types and
neuronal processes; it remains challenging to record neurons stably in the face of brain
motion; and data preprocessing is still a major limiting factor in the pace of experiments.
This proposal will address these limitations by producing and evaluating a new device with
>10x the number of recording sites than state-of-the-art, corresponding to an order of
magnitude higher density. This device thus functions like a high-resolution electrical camera
in the brain, able to image tiny electrical fields and capable of capitalizing on techniques
from optics such as image registration for recording stability.
We will validate and develop the new probe's characteristics by quantifying their increased
ability to detect a large range of neuron types; by testing and developing their ability to track
neurons across brain motion using controlled conditions; by improving algorithms towards
automation of data preprocessing; and by conducting multi-modal ground-truth experiments.
These probes will go beyond solving technical limitations, additionally providing new types of
data: electrical imaging of `electro-morphological' shapes will enable enhanced cell-type
identification and validation of neuronal biophysical models in vivo.
We will disseminate the new probes, along with user-friendly software to take advantage of
their improved characteristics, to `beta-tester' labs specifically interested in studying key
areas of scientific opportunity. These areas include dendritic computation, freely-moving
behavior, and cerebellar function, and this direct dissemination will rapidly accelerate their
impact on scientific advancement.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10016865
- **Project number:** 5U01NS113252-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY D HARRIS
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,111,166
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10016865

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10016865, NeuropixelsUltra: Dense arrays for stable, unbiased, and cell type-specific electrical imaging (5U01NS113252-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10016865. Licensed CC0.

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