Optoelectronic devices for optogenetics: From rodents to non-human primates

By contrast to the constantly expanding libraries of opsins and promoters for optogenetics, there is a need for versatile optoelectronic devices which in particular can (a) be chronically implanted, including non-human primates (NHP), and (b) deliver arbitrary spatio-temporally patterned distributions of light while performing simultaneous multisite neural recording. Here we discuss specific recent approaches where monolithic probes have been microfabricated in our laboratory as cortical actuator/sensor implants in rodents and non-human primates (NHP). These range from multifunctional single channel implants to newly developed optically transparent, electrically conducting intracortical microarrays.