Instrumentation for Large Scale Neuron Population Recording

这项针对系统神经生理学的仪器开发的总体目标是创建功能设备，以便能够从行为动物的非常大的神经元棘波序列集合中进行记录。该计划是开发和整合三项并行完成的任务。首先，将采用一种新的制造工艺来制造薄膜硅记录探头，每个探头有16个位置。探头形状和表面记录位置属性将被优化以用于长期慢性记录，以匹配先前由P.I.完善的微线阵列的有效性。不同间距和大小的表面记录位置将被图案化在探头上，并且将测试不同的记录表面。一种制造柔性微电缆和多芯片模块的新技术将被采用，以将信号从记录探头引导到外部信号处理电子设备。第二项任务是设计一种VLSI微芯片，用于检测和放大来自16个通道的信号。并将信号多路传输到单个输出线。该芯片还将为开关提供控制，以对选定的输入进行测试/刺激。以后的目标将是生产一种具有集成有源电子设备的多点探测器，并制造多个探测器组件。将要开发的工艺对于商业生产方法来说是特别有利的。一种低成本、大批量的商业产品将通过北卡罗来纳州研究三角的微电子中心(MCNC)的工作人员稍后的参与而得以实现。第三项任务是组装一个带有控制硬件/软件的多路分解器，并将在现有的工作站上添加先进的数字信号处理能力，以支持256个或更多通道的尖峰信号分类。所有这三项任务将并行完成，以逐步增加现有的可用系统的功能。过去十年，在NSF和其他地方的支持下，这一复杂、综合的项目变得更加可行。这个项目旨在结束P.I.和他的同事长达十年的发展努力。其目的是创造和展示潜在的大规模神经元集合记录，用于解码分布式神经元活动中的模式信息。应用多元统计方法对新数据采集方法产生的大量数据进行处理。该小组和其他人最近发表的关于多声道记录的出版物已经为多声道记录和分析仪器的进一步发展创造了热情和动力。这一能力的进步对于实现生理神经元网络研究中概念性问题的基本范式转变至关重要。

The overall goal of this instrument development for Systems Neurophysiology is to create functional devices to enable recording from very large ensembles of neuronal spike trains in behaving animals. The plan is to develop and integrate three tasks to be done in parallel. First, a new fabrication process will be employed to create thin film silicon recording probes, each with sixteen sites. The probe shapes and surface recording site properties will be optimized for long-term chronic recording to match the effectiveness of microwire arrays previously perfected by the P.I. Different spacing and sizes of surface recording sites will be patterned on the probe and different recording surfaces will be tested. A novel technology for fabrication of flexible microcables and multichip modules will be adapted to lead signals from the recording probes to external signal processing electronics. A second task is to create a design for a VLSI microchip to detect and amplify- signals from 16 channels. and multiplex signals to a single output lead. The chip will also provide switches with control to apply test/stimulation to a selected input. Later goals will be to produce a multisite probe with integrated active electronics and to create multiple probe assemblies. The processes to be developed are exceptionally favorable for commercial production methods. A low-cost, high-volume commercial product will be facilited through later participation of the staff at the Microelectronic Center of North Carolina (MCNC), Research Triangle, NC. A third task is to assemble a demultiplexer with control hardware/software and an advanced digital signal processing capability will be added to an existing workstation to support spike sorting from 256 channels or more. All three tasks will be done in parallel to incrementally add function to an existing, usable system. This complex, integrated project is made more feasib le by preliminary advances supported by NSF and elsewhere over past decade. This project aims to bring closur,9/to a decade-long development effort of the P.I. and his associates. The aim was to create and demonstrate the potential large scale neuron ensemble recording for decoding of information in patterns within distributed neuronal activity. Multivariate statistical methods have been applied to process the large volumes of data yielded by the new data acquisition methods. Recent publications by this group and others on multichannel recordings have created enthusiasm and momentum toward further advances in multichannel recording and analysis instrumentation. Advances in this capability are critical to enable a basic paradigm shift in the study of conceptual issues in the study of physiological neuronal networks.