The development of an efficient interface between optoelectronic microsystems and the nervous system is mandatory for a thorough analysis in vitro and in vivo of the neural activity. The comprehension of brain in its normal behavior and in presence of nervous disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, altered perception and sensitivity, limited motor functionality, widely recurs to physiological investigation based on the reconstruction of synaptic responses to predefined stimuli.

At present, two main technical routes have been proposed to realize sensors able to monitor the neural activity: optical transduction (e.g. through voltage-sensitive dyes) and electrical transduction (voltage clamping to measure ionic currents inside neurons, electrodes capacitively coupled the cells, transistors gate-modulated by action potential). Several devices based on these strategies have been developed and are already widely used in electrophysiological studies.