  Recent advances in material technology and in micro- and nano-electronics
have profoundly changed the design of intracranial electrophysiology
electrodes. It is now possible to manufacture electrodes that record cortical
activity at a spatial resolution that was previously unthinkable. This high
spatial resolution enables recording of the functional structures of the brain,
and differentiation of the activity of the different types of neurons composing
them. In this paper, we present a review of the different types of electrodes
now available, and then suggest one of the first applications for such high
resolution electrodes, namely a means to better characterise the mechanisms
that generate focal seizures in epileptics. Finally, we reflect more broadly on
prospects for their future use.
