Automated spike sorting of multielectrode recordings: Construction of test data as part of international methods development project

The project is a part of an international collaborative effort on developing and testing of methods for automated analysis of extracellular recordings of action-potentials. Several electrode types may be considered, but a focus will be on tetrodes, a type of multielectrode with four contacts. Such new and validated 'spike-sorting' methods allowing for more reliable measurement of neural spiking activity are strongly desired in both basic and clinical neuroscience. Specifically, model test data for (virtua lly) recorded extracellular potentials will be calculated following enforcement of tailored sequences of action potentials in neurons surrounding the tetrode. The extracellular potentials are found by considering morphologically reconstructed neuron model s with imposed somatic action potentials in a electrostatic forward modeling scheme. This combination of known action-potential sequences with corresponding extracellular potentials traces will then be made freely and easily available to the research comm unity as part of an internationally coordinated effort. In the project we will also contribute to this coordinated international effort by organizing workshops and meetings for developers and users both in the basic and clinical neurosciences.