Neuroscience technology
Imec delivers the critical building blocks for smarter neurotech that is more miniaturized, targeted and power efficient.
Neurological conditions affect 1 in 3 people, posing a significant challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Despite advancements, treating these disorders remains complex due to the intricate nature of the nervous system. Innovative neurotechnology offers promising avenues for both understanding and addressing these conditions. By leveraging miniaturized electronics to interface with neural systems, researchers can develop precise, targeted therapies that complement or surpass traditional treatments.
Article: advancing neurotech from brain surface to brain depths
Implantable neuroscience tools
There are several reasons why microchips are increasingly used for direct interaction with nerves:
- They’re ultra-small with sensor/actuator electrodes at unprecedented densities.
- They can be directly integrated with signal processing, wireless communication, photonic and microfluidic elements, ...
- They can be encapsulated in biocompatible and hermetic packages for long-term implantation inside the body.
Implantable neurotechnology is essential for research purposes – such as neural probes. It’s increasingly used for therapeutic applications such as neuromodulation, prosthetics, and brain-machine interfacing. In time, the use of neural implants for human augmentation is no longer science fiction.
Imec has a long track record in bringing chip microfabrication to the implantable neurotech domain. In 2017, we introduced the world’s first thin-silicon implantable chip for high-precision haptic prosthetics. We also work to advance wireless high-rate data transfer and data compression.
Below are highlighted two current projects: Neuropixels and our work on peripheral nerve stimulation.
Neuropixels neural probes
Neural probes are primary tools for neuroscientists aiming to uncover the working of the brain by picking up signals both from single neurons and across wider areas.
By downsizing neural probes with integrated electronics using advanced CMOS technology, imec has been one of the key drivers behind the most sophisticated generation of neural probes. The Neuropixels probes, developed within an international collaboration and fabricated at imec, are universally considered the gold standard for neuroscientific research.
The two generations of the Neuropixels neural probes
Peripheral nerve stimulation
The principle of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is to alter the default electrical activity of neural fibers in the peripheral nervous system. This form of bioelectronic medicine (BEM) is explored for afflictions such as epilepsy, chronic pain, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
A major deficit of current PNS technologies, however, is their limited selectivity and the fact that they often require a complex implantation procedure. Imec’s selective PNS technology aims to remedy this by introducing intermittent interferential current stimulation (i²CS) and leveraging imec’s long-standing expertise in implantable technologies – including wireless powering, ultra-low-power radio for data transfer, and algorithms for closed-loop solutions.
Click here to read more about imec’s PNS research activities
In 2025, imec published new results in Nature Communications titled “Control of spatiotemporal activation of organ-specific fibers in the swine vagus nerve by intermittent interferential current stimulation.” The study describes imec’s novel ASIC-enabled approach based on I²CS to selectively activate specific fibers within the vagus nerve, and imec’s collaboration with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research validating the new method in trials.
Non-invasive neuroscience tools
Non-invasive neurotechnology plays an invaluable role in assessing and modulating brain states for research and therapeutic purposes. However, current non-invasive brain monitoring and stimulation devices usually have one or more of these drawbacks:
- They’re relatively expensive.
- They need to be administered by experts.
- They deliver an output – such as long EEG traces – that’s hard to interpret.
- They focus on a single modality: either monitoring or stimulation.
Through improvements in neuroscience technology, imec develops platforms for non-invasive brain monitoring and stimulation devices that are affordable, convenient and relevant for clinical applications.
Imec’s non-invasive neuroscience platform leverages technological building blocks such as:
- ergonomic and practical design with state-of-the-art dry electrodes
- extremely low power consumption and wireless operation
- digital active electrodes (DAE) where each electrode is accompanied by an IC to immediately digitize the signal for improved signal properties
- advanced algorithms for real-time data analysis and automatic signaling of abnormal brain activity
Building on these technologies, we’ve also developed a platform that enables you to explore non-invasive brain stimulation.
Work with us
Imec supports neurotechnology companies at every stage, from concept to industrialization. By bringing together the full stack of chip technology disciplines and in-house life sciences expertise, we help fast-track your proof-of-concept.
Breakthroughs like Neuropixels and selective nerve stimulation showcase the impact of our interdisciplinary approach. We help turn your prototype into an integrated, miniaturized implant ready for pilot clinical trials, using mature IP blocks in sensing, stimulation, powering, and communication to reduce development time and risk.
And with IC-Link, our custom chip division, you can smoothly scale from prototyping to high-volume production, tailored to your technical and business needs.
