Nyquist noise of cell adhesion detected in a neuron-silicon transistor.

Interfacing of nerve cells and field-effect transistors is determined by current flow along the electrical resistance of the cell-chip junction. We study the thermal noise of the junction by measuring the fluctuations of extracellular voltage with a low-noise transistor. We find a spectral power density of 5 x 10(-14) V2/Hz and interpret it as Nyquist noise of the cell-chip junction with a resistance of 3 MOhm. The thermal noise allows us to elucidate the properties of cell adhesion and it sets a thermodynamical limit for the signal-to-noise ratio of neuroelectronic interfacing.