MEA Workstation

MEA Workstation -
System for Recording and Analyzing Signals from Microelectrode Arrays

Features

Online spike sorting via template sorting or time-voltage discriminator windows
Several methods of automatic spike waveform identification
Automatic thresholding and automatic template adaptation
Online viewing of continuous signals, thresholded spikes, activity rasters, and 2D and 3D cluster displays
Multi-channel waveform display configured for standard MEA electrode layouts
Open file format; recorded spikes and/or continuous signals can be accessed via NeuroExplorer®, MATLAB® or C/C++® programs

Description

MEA Workstation (MEA WS) is a complete system for recording and analyzing up to 64 channels of microelectrode arrays (MEAs). The MEA Workstation uses the MEA WS suite of software programs, which computes and displays real-time statistical features of the spike waveforms in three-dimensional Principal Component Analysis (PCA) space.

The recorded signals are amplified and filtered by the Plexon Preamplifier, and then sent to the ADS64 acquisition device, which provides simultaneous 16-bit sampling at 40 kHz per channel. MEA WS software then displays the spike waveforms and separates them into units that represent individual neurons.

MEA Workstation Software

The MEA workstation ships with all of the software required to acquire and analyze data including MEA Sort Client, the system's primary control program.

MEA Sort Client, the primary user interface for MEA Workstation, provides a complete environment for visualizing, analyzing and recording spike waveforms. The main window of Sort Client displays the waveforms in various views to facilitate detection and classification of the spikes. As shown in the close up view of the 3D Cluster Display (below), a cluster of points, which represents an individual spike, can easily be selected by drawing a boundary around it, which then establishes a template for sorting.

In addition to MEA Sort Client, the MEA Workstation software suite includes these other programs:

Real-time spike waveform detection and classification via template matching or time-voltage window discrimination
Graphical Activity Client - Real time display for monitoring spike activity or continuous waveforms
Grid Monitor Client - Real-time display of spike-rate activity as an animated color grid
PeriEvent Client - Real-time display of histograms and perievent rasters
PlexNet - Real-time broadcast of MEA Workstation data to other computers within a TCP/IP (Ethernet) network
Client Development Kit - Sample code for developing custom applications in C/C++ or MATLAB
MEA Server - Interface for transferring commands and data to and from the MEA acquisition hardware

Technical Specifications - MEA Workstation

System Requirements	Windows Operating Systems
Digital Inputs	Simultaneous 40 kHz (25 microseconds on each channel at a 16-bit resolution
Compatibility	University of North Texas micro-electrode arrays and the MultiChannel Systems MEA preamplifier
Preamplifers	• Software programmable gain from 2500 to 17500 • Zero-latency analog monitoring output • Connections for TTL event inputs • Used with Plexon Headstage Preamplifier for UNT MMEP arrays only (MCS systems come with their own headstage amplifier)