Reducing the Sampling Rate of Biochemical Measurements Using Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry for In Vivo Applications

Recent advances in science and technology have permitted the development of wireless systems that can make biochemical measurements within functioning tissue in behaving animals. However, data transfer requirements and power limitations have significantly limited the applicability of these systems. In an effort to create protocols that will reduce the density of the data to be transferred and the power consumption of wireless systems, this paper evaluates reducing the sampling rate of a proven in vivo measurement technology, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon-fiber microelectrodes. Existing FSCV protocols to measure biochemical signaling in the brain were created without consideration for data density or power consumption. In this paper, the sampling rate of the FSCV protocol for detecting the neurotransmitter dopamine in functioning brain tissue was reduced from 10 to 1 Hz. In vitro experiments showed that the 1-Hz protocol did not negatively affect sensor responsivity or selectivity. The reduced sampling rate was verified in vivo by directly monitoring dopamine fluctuations in intact brain tissue. The 1-Hz sampling rate reduces the quantity of data generated by an order of magnitude compared with the existing protocol, and with duty cycling is expected to decrease power consumption by a similar value in wireless systems.