Publication
Title
QSpike tools : a generic framework for parallel batch preprocessing of extracellular neuronal signals recorded by substrate nnicroelectrode arrays
Author
Abstract
Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs) have emerged as a mature technique to investigate brain (dys)functions in vivo and in in vitro animal models. Often referred to as "smart" Petri dishes, MEAs have demonstrated a great potential particularly for medium-throughput studies in vitro, both in academic and pharmaceutical industrial contexts. Enabling rapid comparison of ionic/pharmacological/genetic manipulations with control conditions, MEAs are employed to screen compounds by monitoring non-invasively the spontaneous and evoked neuronal electrical activity in longitudinal studies, with relatively inexpensive equipment. However, in order to acquire sufficient statistical significance, recordings last up to tens of minutes and generate large amount of raw data (e.g., 60 channels/MEA, 16 bits AID conversion, 20 kHz sampling rate: approximately 8 GB/MEA,h uncompressed). Thus, when the experimental conditions to be tested are numerous, the availability of fast, standardized, and automated signal preprocessing becomes pivotal for any subsequent analysis and data archiving. To this aim, we developed an in-house cloud-computing system, named QSpike Tools, where CPU-intensive operations, required for preprocessing of each recorded channel (e.g., filtering, multi-unit activity detection, spike-sorting, etc.), are decomposed and batch-queued to a multi-core architecture or to a computers cluster. With the commercial availability of new and inexpensive high-density MEAs, we believe that disseminating QSpike Tools might facilitate its wide adoption and customization, and inspire the creation of community-supported cloud-computing facilities for MEAs users.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Frontiers in neuroinformatics. - -
Publication
2014
ISSN
1662-5196
DOI
10.3389/FNINF.2014.00026
Volume/pages
8 (2014) , 14 p.
Article Reference
26
ISI
000348107000001
Pubmed ID
24678297
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Neuroelectronics and nanotechnology: towards a multidisciplinary approach for the science and engineering of neuronal networks (NAMASEN).
A collaborative training program to develop multi-electrode array (MEA) platforms to understand synaptic function and treat diseases of the nervous system (NEUROACT).
Exploring the neural coding in behaving animals by novel optogenetic, high-density microrecordings and computational approaches: Towards cognitive Brain-Computer Interfaces (ENLIGHTENMENT).
Imaging neural activity at the cellular- and network-levels by optically detected diamond spin-magnetometers and nanoparticle FRET sensors.
CalcUA as central calculation facility: supporting core facilities.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 13.03.2015
Last edited 22.01.2024
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