Tetrodes markedly improve the reliability and yield of multiple single-unit isolation from multi-unit recordings in cat striate cortex

Multiplexed, high density electrophysiology with nanofabricated neural probes

Extracellular electrode arrays can reveal the neuronal network correlates of behavior with single-cell, single-spike, and sub-millisecond resolution. However, implantable electrodes are inherently invasive, and efforts to scale up the number and density of recording sites must compromise on device size in order to connect the electrodes. Here, we report on silicon-based neural probes employing nanofabricated, high-density electrical leads. Furthermore, we address the challenge of reading out multichannel data with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) performing signal amplification, band-pass filtering, and multiplexing functions. We demonstrate high spatial resolution extracellular measurements with a fully integrated, low noise 64-channel system weighing just 330 mg. The on-chip multiplexers make possible recordings with substantially fewer external wires than the number of input channels. By combining nanofabricated probes with ASICs we have implemented a system for performing large-scale, high-density electrophysiology in small, freely behaving animals that is both minimally invasive and highly scalable.

Electrical stimulation for epilepsy: experimental approaches

Direct electrical stimulation of the brain is an increasingly popular means of treating refractory epilepsy. Although there has been moderate success in human trials, the rate of seizure freedom does not yet compare favorably to resective surgery. It therefore remains critical to advance experimental investigations aimed toward understanding brain stimulation and its utility. This article introduces the concepts necessary for understanding these experimental studies, describing recording and stimulation technology, animal models of epilepsy, and various subcortical targets of stimulation. Bidirectional and closed-loop device technologies are also highlighted, along with the challenges presented by their experimental use.

Human intracranial recordings and cognitive neuroscience

The ultimate goal of neuroscience research is to understand the operating mechanism of the human brain and to exploit this understanding to devise methods for repair when it malfunctions. A key feature of this operating mechanism is electrical activity of single brain cells and cell assemblies. For obvious ethical reasons, scientists rely mostly on animal research in the study of such signals. Research in humans is often limited to electrical signals that can be recorded at the scalp or to surrogates of electrical activity, namely magnetic source imaging and measures of regional blood flow and metabolism. Invasive brain recordings performed in patients during various clinical procedures provide a unique opportunity to record high-resolution signals in vivo from the human brain-data that are otherwise unavailable. Of special value are the rare opportunities to record in awake humans the activity of single brain cells and small cellular assemblies. These recordings provide a unique view on aspects of human cognition that are impossible to study in animals, including language, imagery, episodic memory, volition, and even consciousness. In the current review we discuss the unique contribution of invasive recordings from patients to the field of cognitive neuroscience.

Theta-modulated head direction cells in the rat anterior thalamus

A major tool in understanding how the brain processes information is the analysis of neuronal output at each hierarchical level along the pathway of signal propagation. Theta rhythm and head directionality are the two main signals found across all levels of Papez's circuit, which supports episodic memory formation. Here, we provide evidence that the functional interaction between both signals occurs at a subcortical level. We show that there is population of head direction cells (39%) in rat anteroventral thalamic nucleus that exhibit rhythmic spiking in the theta range. This class of units, termed HD-by-theta (head direction-by-theta) cells, discharged predominantly in spike trains at theta frequency (6-12 Hz). The highest degree of theta rhythmicity was evident when the animal was heading/facing in the preferred direction, expressed by the Gaussian peak of the directional tuning curve. The theta-rhythmic mode of spiking was closely related to the firing activity of local theta-bursting cells. We also found that 32% of anteroventral theta-bursting cells displayed a head-directional modulation of their spiking. This crossover between theta and head-directional signals indicates that anterior thalamus integrates information related to heading and movement, and may therefore actively modulate hippocampo-dencephalic information processing.

Wireless multi-channel single unit recording in freely moving and vocalizing primates

The ability to record well-isolated action potentials from individual neurons in naturally behaving animals is crucial for understanding neural mechanisms underlying natural behaviors. Traditional neurophysiology techniques, however, require the animal to be restrained which often restricts natural behavior. An example is the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a highly vocal New World primate species, used in our laboratory to study the neural correlates of vocal production and sensory feedback. When restrained by traditional neurophysiological techniques marmoset vocal behavior is severely inhibited. Tethered recording systems, while proven effective in rodents pose limitations in arboreal animals such as the marmoset that typically roam in a three-dimensional environment. To overcome these obstacles, we have developed a wireless neural recording technique that is capable of collecting single-unit data from chronically implanted multi-electrodes in freely moving marmosets. A lightweight, low power and low noise wireless transmitter (headstage) is attached to a multi-electrode array placed in the premotor cortex of the marmoset. The wireless headstage is capable of transmitting 15 channels of neural data with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) comparable to a tethered system. To minimize radio-frequency (RF) and electro-magnetic interference (EMI), the experiments were conducted within a custom designed RF/EMI and acoustically shielded chamber. The individual electrodes of the multi-electrode array were periodically advanced to densely sample the cortical layers. We recorded single-unit data over a period of several months from the frontal cortex of two marmosets. These recordings demonstrate the feasibility of using our wireless recording method to study single neuron activity in freely roaming primates.

Identification of single neurons in a forebrain network

Behaviors are generated from complex interactions among networks of neurons. Single-unit ensemble recording has been used to identify multiple neurons in functioning networks. These recordings have provided insight into interactions among neurons in local and distributed circuits. Recorded units in these ensembles have been classed based on waveform type, firing pattern, and physical location. To identify individual projection neurons in a cortical network, we have paired tetrode recording with antidromic stimulation. We developed techniques that enable antidromic identification of single units and study of functional interactions between these neurons and other circuit elements. These methods have been developed in the zebra finch and should be applicable, with potential modifications that we discuss here, to any neural circuit with defined subpopulations based on projection target. This methodology will enable elucidation of the functional roles of single identified neurons in complex vertebrate circuits.

Memory modulates journey-dependent coding in the rat hippocampus

Neurons in the rat hippocampus signal current location by firing in restricted areas called place fields. During goal-directed tasks in mazes, place fields can also encode past and future positions through journey-dependent activity, which could guide hippocampus-dependent behavior and underlie other temporally extended memories, such as autobiographical recollections. The relevance of journey-dependent activity for hippocampal-dependent memory, however, is not well understood. To further investigate the relationship between hippocampal journey-dependent activity and memory, we compared neural firing in rats performing two mnemonically distinct but behaviorally identical tasks in the plus maze: a hippocampus-dependent spatial navigation task and a hippocampus-independent cue response task. While place, prospective, and retrospective coding reflected temporally extended behavioral episodes in both tasks, memory strategy altered coding differently before and after the choice point. Before the choice point, when discriminative selection of memory strategy was critical, a switch between the tasks elicited a change in a field's coding category, so that a field that signaled current location in one task coded pending journeys in the other task. After the choice point, however, when memory strategy became irrelevant, the fields preserved coding categories across tasks, so that the same field consistently signaled either current location or the recent journeys. Additionally, on the start arm, firing rates were affected at comparable levels by task and journey; on the goal arm, firing rates predominantly encoded journey. The data demonstrate a direct link between journey-dependent coding and memory and suggest that episodes are encoded by both population and firing rate coding.

Multidimensional recording (MDR) and data sharing: an ecological open research and educational platform for neuroscience

Primate neurophysiology has revealed various neural mechanisms at the single-cell level and population level. However, because recording techniques have not been updated for several decades, the types of experimental design that can be applied in the emerging field of social neuroscience are limited, in particular those involving interactions within a realistic social environment. To address these limitations and allow more freedom in experimental design to understand dynamic adaptive neural functions, multidimensional recording (MDR) was developed. MDR obtains behavioral, neural, eye position, and other biological data simultaneously by using integrated multiple recording systems. MDR gives a wide degree of freedom in experimental design because the level of behavioral restraint is adjustable depending on the experimental requirements while still maintaining the signal quality. The biggest advantage of MDR is that it can provide a stable neural signal at higher temporal resolution at the network level from multiple subjects for months, which no other method can provide. Conventional event-related analysis of MDR data shows results consistent with previous findings, whereas new methods of analysis can reveal network mechanisms that could not have been investigated previously. MDR data are now shared in the public server Neurotycho.org. These recording and sharing methods support an ecological system that is open to everyone and will be a valuable and powerful research/educational platform for understanding the dynamic mechanisms of neural networks.

Fast, scalable, Bayesian spike identification for multi-electrode arrays

We present an algorithm to identify individual neural spikes observed on high-density multi-electrode arrays (MEAs). Our method can distinguish large numbers of distinct neural units, even when spikes overlap, and accounts for intrinsic variability of spikes from each unit. As MEAs grow larger, it is important to find spike-identification methods that are scalable, that is, the computational cost of spike fitting should scale well with the number of units observed. Our algorithm accomplishes this goal, and is fast, because it exploits the spatial locality of each unit and the basic biophysics of extracellular signal propagation. Human interaction plays a key role in our method; but effort is minimized and streamlined via a graphical interface. We illustrate our method on data from guinea pig retinal ganglion cells and document its performance on simulated data consisting of spikes added to experimentally measured background noise. We present several tests demonstrating that the algorithm is highly accurate: it exhibits low error rates on fits to synthetic data, low refractory violation rates, good receptive field coverage, and consistency across users.

A wireless multi-channel recording system for freely behaving mice and rats

To understand the neural basis of behavior, it is necessary to record brain activity in freely moving animals. Advances in implantable multi-electrode array technology have enabled researchers to record the activity of neuronal ensembles from multiple brain regions. The full potential of this approach is currently limited by reliance on cable tethers, with bundles of wires connecting the implanted electrodes to the data acquisition system while impeding the natural behavior of the animal. To overcome these limitations, here we introduce a multi-channel wireless headstage system designed for small animals such as rats and mice. A variety of single unit and local field potential signals were recorded from the dorsal striatum and substantia nigra in mice and the ventral striatum and prefrontal cortex simultaneously in rats. This wireless system could be interfaced with commercially available data acquisition systems, and the signals obtained were comparable in quality to those acquired using cable tethers. On account of its small size, light weight, and rechargeable battery, this wireless headstage system is suitable for studying the neural basis of natural behavior, eliminating the need for wires, commutators, and other limitations associated with traditional tethered recording systems.

Neighboring Pallidal Neurons Do Not Exhibit more Synchronous Oscillations than Remote Ones in the MPTP Primate Model of Parkinson's Disease

In the healthy primate, neurons of the external and internal segments of the globus pallidus (GP) present a primarily irregular firing pattern, and a negligible level of synchrony is observed between pairs of neurons. This holds even for neighboring cells, despite their higher probability to receive common inputs and to innervate each other via lateral connectivity. In the Parkinsonian primate, this changes drastically, and many pairs of GP cells show synchronous oscillations. To address the relation between distance and synchrony in the Parkinsonian state, we compared the synchrony of discharge of close pairs of neurons, recorded by the same electrode, with remote pairs, recorded by different ones. However, spike trains of neighboring cells recorded by the same extracellular electrode exhibit the shadowing effect; i.e., lack of detection of spikes that occur within a few milliseconds of each other. Here, we demonstrate that the shadowing artifact can both induce apparent correlations between non-correlated neurons, as well as conceal existing correlations between neighboring ones. We therefore introduced artificial shadowing in the remote pairs, similar to the effect we observed in the close ones. After the artificial shadowing, neighboring cells did not show a higher tendency to oscillate synchronously than remote ones. On the contrary, the average percentage (over all sessions) of artificially shadowed remote pairs exhibiting synchronous oscillations was 35.4% compared to 17.2% in the close ones. Similar trend was found when the unshadowed remote pairs were separated according to the estimated distance between electrode tips: 29.9% of pairs at approximate distance of less than 750 μm were significantly synchronized, in comparison with 28.5% of the pairs whose distance was more than 750 μm. We conclude that the synchronous oscillations in the GP of MPTP treated primates are homogenously distributed.

Three-dimensional localization of neurons in cortical tetrode recordings

The recording radius and spatial selectivity of an extracellular probe are important for interpreting neurophysiological recordings but are rarely measured. Moreover, an analysis of the recording biophysics of multisite probes (e.g., tetrodes) can provide for source characterization and localization of spiking single units, but this capability has remained largely unexploited. Here we address both issues quantitatively. Advancing a tetrode (≈40-μm contact separation, tetrahedral geometry) in 5- to 10-μm steps, we repeatedly recorded extracellular action potentials (EAPs) of single neurons in the visual cortex. Using measured spatial variation of EAPs, the tetrodes' measured geometry, and a volume conductor model of the cortical tissue, we solved the inverse problem of estimating the location and the size of the equivalent dipole model of the spike generator associated with each neuron. Half of the 61 visual neurons were localized within a radius of ≈100 μm and 95% within ≈130 μm around the tetrode tip (i.e., a large fraction was much further than previously thought). Because of the combined angular sensitivity of the tetrode's leads, location uncertainty was less than one-half the cell's distance. We quantified the spatial dependence of the probability of cell isolation, the isolated fraction, and the dependence of the recording radius on probe size and equivalent dipole size. We also reconstructed the spatial configuration of sets of simultaneously recorded neurons to demonstrate the potential use of 3D dipole localization for functional anatomy. Finally, we found that the dipole moment vector, surprisingly, tended to point toward the probe, leading to the interpretation that the equivalent dipole represents a "local lobe" of the dendritic arbor.

The effects of pooling on spike train correlations

Neurons integrate inputs from thousands of afferents. Similarly, some experimental techniques record the pooled activity of large populations of cells. When cells in these populations are correlated, the correlation coefficient between the collective activity of two subpopulations is typically much larger than the correlation coefficient between individual cells: The act of pooling individual cell signals amplifies correlations. We give an overview of this phenomenon and present several implications. In particular, we show that pooling leads to synchronization in feedforward networks and that it can amplify and otherwise distort correlations between recorded signals.

Saccade-related modulations of neuronal excitability support synchrony of visually elicited spikes

During natural vision, primates perform frequent saccadic eye movements, allowing only a narrow time window for processing the visual information at each location. Individual neurons may contribute only with a few spikes to the visual processing during each fixation, suggesting precise spike timing as a relevant mechanism for information processing. We recently found in V1 of monkeys freely viewing natural images, that fixation-related spike synchronization occurs at the early phase of the rate response after fixation-onset, suggesting a specific role of the first response spikes in V1. Here, we show that there are strong local field potential (LFP) modulations locked to the onset of saccades, which continue into the successive fixation periods. Visually induced spikes, in particular the first spikes after the onset of a fixation, are locked to a specific epoch of the LFP modulation. We suggest that the modulation of neural excitability, which is reflected by the saccade-related LFP changes, serves as a corollary signal enabling precise timing of spikes in V1 and thereby providing a mechanism for spike synchronization.

An automated online positioning system and simulation environment for multi-electrodes in extracellular recordings

Extracellular recordings are a key tool to record the activity of neurons in vivo. Especially in the case of experiments with behaving animals, however, the tedious procedure of electrode placement can take a considerable amount of expensive and restricted experimental time. Furthermore, due to tissue drifts and other sources of variability in the recording setup, the position of the electrodes with respect to the recorded neurons can change causing low recording quality. The contributions of this work are threefold. We introduce a quality measure for the recording position of the electrode which should be maximized during recordings and is especially suitable for the use of multi-electrodes. An automated positioning system based on this quality measure is proposed. The system is able to find favorable recording positions and adapts the electrode position smoothly to changes of the neuron positions. Finally, we evaluate the system using a new simulator for extracellular recordings based on realistically reconstructed 3D neurons.

A wavelet approach for on-line spike sorting in tetrode recordings

A new method for spike sorting of tetrode recordings during data acquisition is introduced. For each tetrode channel, putative spikes are detected by means of a threshold, and then convolved with a cascade of wavelet filters. These transformed putative spikes are averaged and this average is used as a matched filter to find portions of signals that are likely to contain a spike. A collection of vectors containing the correlation coefficients between putative spikes and the matched filters is then clustered using K-Means. Centroids of the resulting clusters contain enough information to sort spikes recorded by all tetrode channels simultaneously. On-line sorting is achieved by measuring euclidean distance between putative new spikes and the cluster centroids.

Neuronal plasticity and multisensory integration in filial imprinting

Many organisms sample their environment through multiple sensory systems and the integration of multisensory information enhances learning. However, the mechanisms underlying multisensory memory formation and their similarity to unisensory mechanisms remain unclear. Filial imprinting is one example in which experience is multisensory, and the mechanisms of unisensory neuronal plasticity are well established. We investigated the storage of audiovisual information through experience by comparing the activity of neurons in the intermediate and medial mesopallium of imprinted and naïve domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in response to an audiovisual imprinting stimulus and novel object and their auditory and visual components. We find that imprinting enhanced the mean response magnitude of neurons to unisensory but not multisensory stimuli. Furthermore, imprinting enhanced responses to incongruent audiovisual stimuli comprised of mismatched auditory and visual components. Our results suggest that the effects of imprinting on the unisensory and multisensory responsiveness of IMM neurons differ and that IMM neurons may function to detect unexpected deviations from the audiovisual imprinting stimulus.

Automated spike sorting algorithm based on Laplacian eigenmaps and k-means clustering

This study presents a new automatic spike sorting method based on feature extraction by Laplacian eigenmaps combined with k-means clustering. The performance of the proposed method was compared against previously reported algorithms such as principal component analysis (PCA) and amplitude-based feature extraction. Two types of classifier (namely k-means and classification expectation-maximization) were incorporated within the spike sorting algorithms, in order to find a suitable classifier for the feature sets. Simulated data sets and in-vivo tetrode multichannel recordings were employed to assess the performance of the spike sorting algorithms. The results show that the proposed algorithm yields significantly improved performance with mean sorting accuracy of 73% and sorting error of 10% compared to PCA which combined with k-means had a sorting accuracy of 58% and sorting error of 10%.A correction was made to this article on 22 February 2011. The spacing of the title was amended on the abstract page. No changes were made to the article PDF and the print version was unaffected.

Ultrasmall and customizable multichannel electrodes for extracellular recordings

Increasing demand exists for smaller multichannel electrodes that enable simultaneous recordings of many neurons in a noninvasive manner. We report a novel method for manufacturing ultrasmall carbon fiber electrodes with up to seven closely spaced recording sites. The electrodes were designed to minimize damage to neuronal circuitry and to be fully customizable in three dimensions so that their dimensions can be optimally matched to those of the targeted neuron population.

A simple method for fabricating microwire tetrode with sufficient rigidity and integrity without a heat-fusing process

Heat-fusing is a common process for fabricating microwire tetrodes. However, it is time-consuming, and the high-temperature treatment can easily cause the insulation of the microwire to overheat leading to short circuits. We herein provide a simple, fast method to fabricate microwire tetrodes without the heat-fusion process. By increasing the twisting density, we were able to fabricate tetrodes with good rigidity and integrity. This kind of tetrode showed good recording quality, penetrated the brain surface easily, and remained intact after chronic implantation. This method requires only general laboratory tools and is relatively simple even for inexperienced workers.

Fast-spiking interneurons of the rat ventral striatum: temporal coordination of activity with principal cells and responsiveness to reward

Although previous in vitro studies revealed inhibitory synaptic connections of fast-spiking interneurons to principal cells in the striatum, uncertainty remains about the nature of the behavioural events that correlate with changes in interneuron activity and about the temporal coordination of interneuron firing with spiking of principal cells under natural conditions. Using in vivo tetrode recordings from the ventral striatum in freely moving rats, fast-spiking neurons were distinguished from putative medium-sized spiny neurons on the basis of their spike waveforms and rates. Cross-correlograms of fast-spiking and putative medium-sized spiny neuron firing patterns revealed a variety of temporal relationships, including peaks of concurrent firing and transient decrements in medium-sized spiny neuron spiking around fast-spiking unit activity. Notably, the onset of these decrements was mostly in advance of the fast-spiking unit firing. Many of these temporal relationships were dependent on the sleep-wake state. Coordinated activity was also found amongst pairs of the same phenotype, both fast-spiking units and putative medium-sized spiny neurons, which was often marked by a broad peak of concurrent firing. When studying fast-spiking neurons in a reward-searching task, they generally showed a pre-reward ramping increment in firing rate but a decrement specifically when the rat received reward. In conclusion, our data indicate that various forms of temporally coordinated activity exist amongst ventral striatal interneurons and principal cells, which cannot be explained by feed-forward inhibitory circuits alone. Furthermore, firing patterns of ventral striatal fast-spiking interneurons do not merely correlate with the general arousal state of the animal but display distinct reward-related changes in firing rate.

Oscillatory entrainment of thalamic neurons by theta rhythm in freely moving rats

The anterior thalamic nuclei are assumed to support episodic memory with anterior thalamic dysfunction a core feature of diencephalic amnesia. To date, the electrophysiological characterization of this region in behaving rodents has been restricted to the anterodorsal nucleus. Here we compared single-unit spikes with population activity in the anteroventral nucleus (AV) of freely moving rats during foraging and during naturally occurring sleep. We identified AV units that synchronize their bursting activity in the 6-11 Hz range. We show for the first time in freely moving rats that a subgroup of AV neurons is strongly entrained by theta oscillations. This feature together with their firing properties and spike shape suggests they be classified as "theta" units. To prove the selectivity of AV theta cells for theta rhythm, we compared the relation of spiking rhythmicity to local field potentials during theta and non-theta periods. The most distinguishable non-theta oscillations in rodent anterior thalamus are sleep spindles. We therefore compared the firing properties of AV units during theta and spindle periods. We found that theta and spindle oscillations differ in their spatial distribution within AV, suggesting separate cellular sources for these oscillations. While theta-bursting neurons were related to the distribution of local field theta power, spindle amplitude was independent of the theta units' position. Slow- and fast-spiking bursting units that are selectively entrained to theta rhythm comprise 23.7% of AV neurons. Our results provide a framework for electrophysiological classification of AV neurons as part of theta limbic circuitry.

Non-redundant odor coding by sister mitral cells revealed by light addressable glomeruli in the mouse

Sensory inputs frequently converge on the brain in a spatially organized manner, often with overlapping inputs to multiple target neurons. Whether the responses of target neurons with common inputs become decorrelated depends on the contribution of local circuit interactions. We addressed this issue in the olfactory system using newly generated transgenic mice that express channelrhodopsin-2 in all of the olfactory sensory neurons. By selectively stimulating individual glomeruli with light, we identified mitral/tufted cells that receive common input (sister cells). Sister cells had highly correlated responses to odors, as measured by average spike rates, but their spike timing in relation to respiration was differentially altered. In contrast, non-sister cells correlated poorly on both of these measures. We suggest that sister mitral/tufted cells carry two different channels of information: average activity representing shared glomerular input and phase-specific information that refines odor representations and is substantially independent for sister cells.

Dynamics of stimulus-evoked spike timing correlations in the cat lateral geniculate nucleus

Precisely synchronized neuronal activity has been commonly observed in the mammalian visual pathway. Spike timing correlations in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) often take the form of phase synchronized oscillations in the high gamma frequency range. To study the relations between oscillatory activity, synchrony, and their time-dependent properties, we recorded activity from multiple single units in the cat LGN under stimulation by stationary spots of light. Autocorrelation analysis showed that approximately one third of the cells exhibited oscillatory firing with a mean frequency ∼80 Hz. Cross-correlation analysis showed that 30% of unit pairs showed significant synchronization, and 61% of these pairs consisted of synchronous oscillations. Cross-correlation analysis assumes that synchronous firing is stationary and maintained throughout the period of stimulation. We tested this assumption by applying unitary events analysis (UEA). We found that UEA was more sensitive to weak and transient synchrony than cross-correlation analysis and detected a higher incidence (49% of cell pairs) of significant synchrony (unitary events). In many unit pairs, the unitary events were optimally characterized at a bin width of 1 ms, indicating that neural synchrony has a high degree of temporal precision. We also found that approximately one half of the unit pairs showed nonstationary changes in synchrony that could not be predicted by the modulation of firing rates. Population statistics showed that the onset of synchrony between LGN cells occurred significantly later than that observed between retinal afferents and LGN cells. The synchrony detected among unit pairs recorded on separate tetrodes tended to be more transient and have a later onset than that observed between adjacent units. These findings show that stimulus-evoked synchronous activity within the LGN is often rhythmic, highly nonstationary, and modulated by endogenous processes that are not tightly correlated with firing rate.

Learning-associated gamma-band phase-locking of action-outcome selective neurons in orbitofrontal cortex

Gamma oscillations (30-100 Hz) correlate to a variety of neural functions, including sensory processing, attention, and action selection. However, they have barely been studied in relation to emotional processing and valuation of sensory signals and actions. We conducted multineuron and local field potential recordings in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of rats performing a task in which they made go or no-go decisions based on two olfactory stimuli predicting appetitive or aversive outcomes. Gamma power was strongest during the late phase of odor sampling, just before go/no-go movement, and increased with behavioral learning. Learning speed was correlated to the slope of the gamma power increment. Spikes of OFC neurons were consistently timed to the gamma rhythm during odor sampling, regardless of the associated outcome. However, only a specific subgroup of cells showed consistent phase timing. These cells showed action-outcome selective activity, not during stimulus sampling but during subsequent movement responses. During sampling, this subgroup displayed a suppression in firing rate but a concurrent increment in the consistency of spike timing relative to gamma oscillations. In addition to gamma rhythm, OFC field potentials were characterized by theta oscillations during odor sampling. Neurons phase-locked to either theta or gamma rhythms but not to both, suggesting that they become associated with separate rhythmic networks involving OFC. Altogether, these results suggest that OFC gamma-band synchronization reflects inhibitory control over a subpopulation of neurons that express information about the emotional valence of actions after a motor decision, which suggests a novel mechanism for response inhibition.

A FPGA real-time model of single and multiple visual cortex neurons

Using a biologically realistic model of a single neuron can be very beneficial for visual physiologists to test their electrophysiology setups, train students in the laboratory, or conduct classroom-teaching demonstrations. Here we present a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based spiking model of visual cortex neurons, which has the ability to simulate three independent neurons and output analog spike waveform signals in four channels. To realistically simulate multi-electrode (tetrode) recordings, the independently generated spikes of each simulated neuron has a distinct waveform, and each channel outputs a differentially weighted sum of these waveforms. The model can be easily constructed from a small number of inexpensive commercially available parts, and is straightforward to operate. In response to sinewave grating stimuli, the neurons exhibit biologically realistic simple-cell-like response properties, including highly modulated Poisson spike trains, orientation selectivity, spatial/temporal frequency selectivity, and space-time receptive fields. Users can customize their model neurons by downloading modifications to the FPGA with varying parameter values, particularly desired features, or qualitatively different models of their own design. The source code and documentation are provided to enable users to modify or extend the model's functionality according to their individual needs.

How do neurons work together? Lessons from auditory cortex

Recordings of single neurons have yielded great insights into the way acoustic stimuli are represented in auditory cortex. However, any one neuron functions as part of a population whose combined activity underlies cortical information processing. Here we review some results obtained by recording simultaneously from auditory cortical populations and individual morphologically identified neurons, in urethane-anesthetized and unanesthetized passively listening rats. Auditory cortical populations produced structured activity patterns both in response to acoustic stimuli, and spontaneously without sensory input. Population spike time patterns were broadly conserved across multiple sensory stimuli and spontaneous events, exhibiting a generally conserved sequential organization lasting approximately 100 ms. Both spontaneous and evoked events exhibited sparse, spatially localized activity in layer 2/3 pyramidal cells, and densely distributed activity in larger layer 5 pyramidal cells and putative interneurons. Laminar propagation differed however, with spontaneous activity spreading upward from deep layers and slowly across columns, but sensory responses initiating in presumptive thalamorecipient layers, spreading rapidly across columns. In both unanesthetized and urethanized rats, global activity fluctuated between "desynchronized" state characterized by low amplitude, high-frequency local field potentials and a "synchronized" state of larger, lower-frequency waves. Computational studies suggested that responses could be predicted by a simple dynamical system model fitted to the spontaneous activity immediately preceding stimulus presentation. Fitting this model to the data yielded a nonlinear self-exciting system model in synchronized states and an approximately linear system in desynchronized states. We comment on the significance of these results for auditory cortical processing of acoustic and non-acoustic information.

Theta-band phase locking of orbitofrontal neurons during reward expectancy

The expectancy of a rewarding outcome following actions and cues is coded by a network of brain structures including the orbitofrontal cortex. Thus far, predicted reward was considered to be coded by time-averaged spike rates of neurons. However, besides firing rate, the precise timing of action potentials in relation to ongoing oscillations in local field potentials is thought to be of importance for effective communication between brain areas. We performed multineuron and field potential recordings in orbitofrontal cortex of rats performing olfactory discrimination learning to study the temporal structure of coding predictive of outcome. After associative learning, field potentials were marked by theta oscillations, both in advance and during delivery of reward. Orbitofrontal neurons, especially those coding information about upcoming reward with their firing rate, phase locked to these oscillations in anticipation of reward. When established associations were reversed, phase locking collapsed in the anticipatory task phase, but returned when reward became predictable again after relearning. Behaviorally, the outcome anticipation phase was marked by licking responses, but the frequency of lick responses was dissociated from the strength of theta-band phase locking. The strength of theta-band phase locking by orbitofrontal neurons robustly follows the dynamics of associative learning as measured by behavior and correlates with the rat's current outcome expectancy. Theta-band phase locking may facilitate communication of outcome-related information between reward-related brain areas and offers a novel mechanism for coding value signals during reinforcement learning.

Ensemble recordings in awake rats: achieving behavioral regularity during multimodal stimulus processing and discriminative learning

To meet an increasing need to examine the neurophysiological underpinnings of behavior in rats, we developed a behavioral system for studying sensory processing, attention and discrimination learning in rats while recording firing patterns of neurons in one or more brain areas of interest. Because neuronal activity is sensitive to variations in behavior which may confound the identification of neural correlates, a specific aim of the study was to allow rats to sample sensory stimuli under conditions of strong behavioral regularity. Our behavioral system allows multimodal stimulus presentation and is coupled to modules for delivering reinforcement, simultaneous monitoring of behavior and recording of ensembles of well isolated single neurons. Using training protocols for simple and compound discrimination, we validated the behavioral system with a group of 4 rats. Within these tasks, a majority of medial prefrontal neurons showed significant firing-rate changes correlated to one or more trial events that could not be explained from significant variation in head position. Thus, ensemble recordings can be combined with discriminative learning tasks under conditions of strong behavioral regularity.

Unitary inhibitory field potentials in the CA3 region of rat hippocampus

Glickfeld and colleagues (2009) suggested that single hippocampal interneurones generate field potentials at monosynaptic latencies. We pursued this observation in simultaneous intracellular and multiple extracellular records from the CA3 region of rat hippocampal slices. We confirmed that interneurones evoked field potentials at monosynaptic latencies. Pyramidal cells initiated disynaptic inhibitory field potentials, but did not initiate detectable monosynaptic excitatory fields. We confirmed that inhibitory fields were GABAergic in nature and showed they were suppressed at low external Cl(-), suggesting they originate at postsynaptic sites. Field potentials generated by a single interneuron were detected at multiple sites over distances of more than 800 mum along the stratum pyramidale of the CA3 region. We used arrays of extracellular electrodes to examine amplitude distributions of spontaneous inhibitory fields recorded at sites orthogonal to or along the CA3 stratum pyramidale. Cluster analysis of spatially distributed inhibitory field events let us separate events generated by interneurones terminating on distinct zones of somato-dendritic axis. Events generated at dendritic sites had similar amplitudes but occurred less frequently and had somewhat slower kinetics than perisomatic events generated near the stratum pyramidale. In records from multiple sites in the CA3 stratum pyramidale, we distinguished inhibitory fields that seemed to be initiated by interneurones with spatially distinct axonal arborisations.

Decorrelated neuronal firing in cortical microcircuits

Correlated trial-to-trial variability in the activity of cortical neurons is thought to reflect the functional connectivity of the circuit. Many cortical areas are organized into functional columns, in which neurons are believed to be densely connected and to share common input. Numerous studies report a high degree of correlated variability between nearby cells. We developed chronically implanted multitetrode arrays offering unprecedented recording quality to reexamine this question in the primary visual cortex of awake macaques. We found that even nearby neurons with similar orientation tuning show virtually no correlated variability. Our findings suggest a refinement of current models of cortical microcircuit architecture and function: Either adjacent neurons share only a few percent of their inputs or, alternatively, their activity is actively decorrelated.

Local field potentials indicate network state and account for neuronal response variability

Multineuronal recordings have revealed that neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) exhibit coordinated fluctuations of spiking activity in the absence and in the presence of visual stimulation. From the perspective of understanding a single cell's spiking activity relative to a behavior or stimulus, these network fluctuations are typically considered to be noise. We show that these events are highly correlated with another commonly recorded signal, the local field potential (LFP), and are also likely related to global network state phenomena which have been observed in a number of neural systems. Moreover, we show that attributing a component of cell firing to these network fluctuations via explicit modeling of the LFP improves the recovery of cell properties. This suggests that the impact of network fluctuations may be estimated using the LFP, and that a portion of this network activity is unrelated to the stimulus and instead reflects ongoing cortical activity. Thus, the LFP acts as an easily accessible bridge between the network state and the spiking activity.

EEG recording in rodents, with a focus on epilepsy

This unit describes the materials, methods, and analytical techniques available for the study of electrical activity of neural tissue in rodents in both homeostatic and disease states, with emphasis on epileptogenesis. A table containing a list of suppliers of relevant materials and equipment is also provided.

Spike detection in extracellular recordings by hybrid blind beamforming

In the case of extracellular recordings, spike detection algorithms are necessary in order to retrieve information about neuronal activity form the data. We present a new spike detection algorithm which is based on methods from the field of blind equalization and beamforming. In contrast to existing approaches, our method estimates several waveforms directly from the data and corresponding linear filters are constructed. The estimation is done in an unsupervised manner, and the few parameters of the algorithm are intuitive to set. The algorithm allows for superior detection performance, even when multiple neurons with various waveforms are present in the data. We compare our method with current state-of-the-art spike detection algorithms, and show that the proposed method achieves favorable results.

Can we infer subthalamic nucleus spike trains from intranuclear local field potentials?

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is one of the subcortical nuclei that constitute the basal ganglia and a pivotal point of their function and dysfunction. In this paper, we use intranuclear recordings, acquired intraoperatively during deep brain stimulation procedure, to investigate whether it is possible to infer STN spike trains using only the underlying local field potentials (LFPs). We regard the LFPs to be the input and the spikes to be the output of a simple Hammerstein-Wiener model and we show that STN spikes can indeed be inferred from intranuclear LFPs, at least with moderate success. Our model, although not always reliable when predicting exact spike positions, shows a good accuracy in predicting the up to 1 kHz structure in STN spike trains. Hence, intranuclear LFPs can indeed hold useful information for predicting STN spiking activity.

Multi-neuron action potentials recorded with tetrode are not instantaneous mixtures of single neuronal action potentials

Multiunit recording with multi-site electrodes in the brain has been widely used in neuroscience studies. After the data recording, neuronal spikes should be sorted according to the pattern of spike waveforms. For the spike sorting, independent component analysis (ICA) has recently been used because ICA has potential for resolving the problem to separate the overlapped multiple neuronal spikes. However the performance of spike sorting by using ICA has not been examined in detail. In this study, we quantitatively evaluate the performance of ICA-based spike sorting method by using simulated multiunit signals. The simulated multiunit signal is constructed by compositing real extracellular action potentials recorded from guinea-pig brain. It is found that the spike sorting by using ICA hardly avoids significant false positive and negative errors due to the cross-talk noise contamination on the separated signals. The cross-talk occurs when the multiunit signal of each recording channel have significant time difference; this situation does not satisfy the assumption of instantaneous source mixture for the major ICA algorithms. Since the channel delay problem is hardly resolved, an ICA algorithm which does not require the instantaneous source mixing assumption would be appropriate for use of spike sorting.

Creating low-impedance tetrodes by electroplating with additives

A tetrode is a bundle of four microwires that can record from multiple neurons simultaneously in the brain of a freely moving animal. Tetrodes are usually electroplated to reduce impedances from 2-3 MΩ to 200-500 kΩ (measured at 1 kHz), which increases the signal-to-noise ratio and allows for the recording of small amplitude signals. Tetrodes with even lower impedances could improve neural recordings but cannot be made using standard electroplating methods without shorting. We were able to electroplate tetrodes to 30-70 kΩ by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) or multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) solutions to a commercial gold-plating solution. The MWCNTs and PEG acted as inhibitors in the electroplating process and created large-surface-area, low-impedance coatings on the tetrode tips.

A visual cue modulates the firing rate and latency of auditory-cortex neurons in the chinchilla

We studied single and multi-unit activity recorded with tetrodes, from the left auditory cortex of awake chinchillas while they performed a frequency discrimination task. Auditory stimuli were preceded by a silent visual cue. We examined firing rates and first-spike latencies of 181 units in the presence and absence of the visual cue. To discard possible auditory artifacts produced by the visual cue, cochlear potentials were simultaneously recorded by an electrode positioned at the round window of the right cochlea. We found that the visual stimulus altered the firing rate and the mean first-spike latency of 9% and 18% of the recorded auditory-cortex cells, respectively. Furthermore, we found that the subset of neurons in which the firing rate was modulated by the visual cue was distinct from the subset of neurons that changed their latency in the presence of the visual cue. Adding both groups, a visual-stimulus modulated the firing characteristics of 27% of the recorded auditory-cortex neurons in the awake chinchilla. Our results imply that in the auditory cortex, latency and firing rate can be independently altered by visual stimuli, and that both types of analysis must be considered in order to fully understand neural cross-modal interactions.

Revealing neuronal functional organization through the relation between multi-scale oscillatory extracellular signals

The spatial organization of neuronal elements and their connectivity make up the substrate underlying the information processing carried out in the networks they form. Conventionally, anatomical findings make the initial structure which later combines with superimposed neurophysiological information to create a functional organization map. The most common neurophysiological measure is the single neuron spike train extracted from an extracellular recording. This single neuron firing pattern provides valuable clues on information processing in a given brain area; however, it only gives a sparse and focal view of this process. Even with the increase in number of simultaneously recorded neurons, inference on their large-scale functional organization remains problematic. We propose a method of utilizing additional information derived from the same extracellular recording to generate a more comprehensive picture of neuronal functional organization. This analysis is based on the relationship between the oscillatory activity of single neurons and their neighboring neuronal populations. Two signals that reflect the multiple scales of neuronal populations are used to complement the single neuron spike train: (1) the high-frequency background unit activity representing the spiking activity of small localized sub-populations and (2) the low-frequency local field potential that represents the synaptic input to a larger global population. The three coherences calculated between pairs of these three signals arising from a single source of extracellular recording are then used to infer mosaic representations of the functional neuronal organization. We demonstrate this methodology on experimental data and on simulated leaky integrate-and-fire neurons.

Spatial spread of the local field potential and its laminar variation in visual cortex

We developed a new method to estimate the spatial extent of summation, the cortical spread, of the local field potential (LFP) throughout all layers of macaque primary visual cortex V1 by taking advantage of the V1 retinotopic map. We mapped multi-unit activity and LFP visual responses with sparse-noise at several cortical sites simultaneously. The cortical magnification factor near the recording sites was precisely estimated by track reconstruction. The new method combined experimental measurements together with a model of signal summation to obtain the cortical spread of the LFP. This new method could be extended to cortical areas that have topographic maps such as S1 or A1, and to cortical areas without functional columnar maps, such as rodent visual cortex. In macaque V1, the LFP was the sum of signals from a very local region, the radius of which was on average 250 microm. The LFP's cortical spread varied across cortical layers, reaching a minimum value of 120 microm in layer 4B. An important functional consequence of the small cortical spread of the LFP is that the visual field maps of LFP and MUA recorded at a single electrode site were very similar. The similar spatial scale of the visual responses, the restricted cortical spread, and their laminar variation led to new insights about the sources and possible applications of the LFP.

Neural Correlates of Novel Object and Novel Location Recognition Behavior in the Mouse Anterior Cingulate Cortex

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a component of the limbic system implicated in a wide variety of functions spanning motor and sensory information processing, memory, attention, novelty detection, and comparisons of expectation versus outcome. It remains unclear how much of this functional diversity stems from differences in methodology or interpretation versus truly reflecting the range of processes in which the ACC is involved. In the present study, ACC neuronal activity was examined in freely behaving mice (C57BL6/J) under conditions allowing investigation of many of the cited functions in conditions free from externally applied rules: tests of novel object and novel location recognition memory. Behavioral activity and neuronal activity were recorded first in the open field, during the initial exposure and subsequent familiarization to two identical objects, and finally during the recognition memory tests. No discernible stable firing correlates of ACC neurons were found in the open field, but the addition of objects led to lasting changes in the firing patterns of many ACC neurons around one or both of the object locations. During the novel location test, some neurons followed the familiar object to its new location, others fired exclusively where the object had been, and yet others fired to both current and former object locations. Many of these same features were observed during tests of object recognition memory. However, the magnitude of the neuronal preference for the novel or the familiar object was markedly greater than that observed during either the tests of location recognition or novel object preferences in animals that did not exhibit the expected behavior. The present study reveals, for the first time, single-neuron correlates of object and location recognition behaviors in the rodent ACC and suggests that neurons of the ACC provide a distributed representation of all of the salient features of a task.

Sub-Millisecond Firing Synchrony of Closely Neighboring Pyramidal Neurons in Hippocampal CA1 of Rats During Delayed Non-Matching to Sample Task

Firing synchrony among neurons is thought to play functional roles in several brain regions. In theoretical analyses, firing synchrony among neurons within sub-millisecond precision is feasible to convey information. However, little is known about the occurrence and the functional significance of the sub-millisecond synchrony among closely neighboring neurons in the brain of behaving animals because of a technical issue: spikes simultaneously generated from closely neighboring neurons are overlapped in the extracellular space and are not easily separated. As described herein, using a unique spike sorting technique based on independent component analysis together with extracellular 12-channel multi-electrodes (dodecatrodes), we separated such overlapping spikes and investigated the firing synchrony among closely neighboring pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 of rats during a delayed non-matching to sample task. Results showed that closely neighboring pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 can co-fire with sub-millisecond precision. The synchrony generally co-occurred with the firing rate modulation in relation to both internal (retention and comparison) and external (stimulus input and motor output) events during the task. However, the synchrony occasionally occurred in relation to stimulus inputs even when rate modulation was clearly absent, suggesting that the synchrony is not simply accompanied with firing rate modulation and that the synchrony and the rate modulation might code similar information independently. We therefore conclude that the sub-millisecond firing synchrony in the hippocampus is an effective carrier for propagating information – as represented by the firing rate modulations – to downstream neurons.

Stimulus ensemble and cortical layer determine V1 spatial receptive fields

The concept of receptive field is a linear, feed-forward view of visual signal processing. Frequently used models of V1 neurons, like the dynamic Linear filter--static nonlinearity--Poisson [corrected] spike encoder model, predict that receptive fields measured with different stimulus ensembles should be similar. Here, we tested this concept by comparing spatiotemporal maps of V1 neurons derived from two very different, but commonly used, stimulus ensembles: sparse noise and Hartley subspace stimuli. We found maps from the two methods agreed for neurons in input layer 4C but were very different for neurons in superficial layers of V1. Many layer 2/3 cells have receptive fields with multiple elongated subregions when mapped with Hartley stimuli, but their spatial maps collapse to only a single, less-elongated subregion when mapped with sparse noise. Moreover, for upper layer V1 neurons, the preferred orientation for Hartley maps is much closer to the preferred orientation measured with drifting gratings than is the orientation preference of sparse-noise maps. These results challenge the concept of a stimulus-invariant receptive field and imply that intracortical interactions shape fundamental properties of layer 2/3 neurons.