Electrophysiological recordings are an important part of neuroscience research and help us to understand the different field potentials in different brain regions and the flow of electrical signals between neurons.

In our electrode laboratory, special electrodes are manufactured individually according to the needs of each scientist. We use materials that meet our highest standards. In our electrode laboratory, we mainly make carbon electrodes because they best meet our requirements. Since most of our scientific experiments take place in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), our electrodes must not contain any magnetizable materials, which makes the production of the electrode more difficult.

Carbon rods with an outer diameter of 0.5 mm are shortened to a specific length, then 12 platinum-iridium wires, with an outside diameter of 0.017 mm and a hard coating as well as 1 ground channel and a sensor channel are incorporated into the carbon electrodes and embedded with epoxy resin. Finally, the individual wires are connected to a special board made by us and the first function tests of the electrode can be carried out, which guarantee the individual function.

But before we assemble all these materials into a carbon electrode, all the individual parts are tested individually for their function. For this purpose, we have developed special electronic measuring devices that guarantee perfect function. At first glance, this seems very simple and easy to explain, but the realization of such an electrode actually involves a long development process in terms of materials, implementation and function. The aim of producing such a complex electrode is to support brain researchers in their various scientific methods. It is a hair-thin instrument that records the activity of individual neurons, i.e. nerve cells, and provides a high spatial resolution of what is happening in the brain.