Patent ID: 8386007

Claim:
An electrode tailored for long-term, minimally invasive cortical recording or stimulation, comprising: a flexible element including: a first layer fabricated from a first material responsive to a predetermined stimulus, the first layer having upper and lower surfaces; and a second layer fabricated from a second material, the second layer having an upper surface bonded to the lower surface of the first layer and a lower surface; a contact on the lower surface of the second layer of the flexible element; and a link for operatively connecting the contact to a control module, the link capable of transmitting at least one of cortical recordings and cortical stimulation signals thereon; wherein: the flexible element is selectively movable between a first contracted configuration and a second expanded configuration in response to the application of the predetermined stimulus to the first layer of the flexible element; and the contact engagable with a cortical surface with the flexible element in the expanded configuration.