An inherently anti-inflammatory surface for neural electrodes is fabricated by immobilization of a neuroimmunomodulatory peptide alpha-MSH. In vitro cell studies and in vivo rodent studies demonstrate that the tethered peptide retains its anti-inflammatory properties, and is able to directly modulate microglial response by modulating the expression of inflammatory cytokine (see figure), thereby suggesting the potential of this strategy to improve the reliability of chronic neural implants in vivo.