A novel class of micro electrodes, specifically designed to interface with neuronal systems, is presented. The electrodes were fabricated by synthesizing high density carbon nanotube islands on lithographically defined, passivated titanium nitride conductors on a silicon dioxide substrate. Here we show that these novel bio-compatible electrodes facilitate two special functions: neuronal tissue patterning as well as recording of the cell's electrical activity. High fidelity extra-cellular recordings from cultured neurons was performed and analyzed to validate the effectiveness of the fabricated electrodes.