Biomaterials for MEMS

MEMS in the Nervous System 67

neurotransmitters and chemicals present at synapses after external stimulation

could answer questions about what signaling cascades are initiated in response to

certain stimuli and how the chemicals present affect nervous system transduction.

The small volumes used by these chemical interfaces are advantageous because

they do not displace a large volume of fluid in nervous system tissue and so such

procedures should be minimally damaging.

To answer complex questions about the nervous system, it is often advan-

tageous to have a simple model system that is easily controlled. Multielectrode

arrays and microfluidic devices