An electrical method to measure low-frequency collective and synchronized cell activity using extracellular electrodes

An electrical method to measure extracellular bioelectrical activity in vitro is presented. This method exploits the Helmholtz capacitive double-layer established at the electrode surface. Small extracellular voltage variations in the order of μVs induce through the double-layer capacitor a displacement current that is measured. This current is then enhanced by a gain factor proportional to the electrode capacitance. In addition, when...