We have recently developed parallel recording techniques using arrays of independently adjustable microwire electrodes, which allow us to simultaneously monitor the activity of hundreds of individual neurons in multiple regions of the brain in an awake behaving animal. The recording system employs a synchronized array of PC-based data acquisition systems to monitor 80 channels of neuronal activity at a time. A video tracking systems allows behavior to be correlated with the simultaneous neural recording.
We have applied these techniques to the hippocampal region of the rodent brain, which has been implicated in memory formation and spatial navigation. By examining the relationship between patterns of neuronal activity and spatial behavior we have succeeded in observing what may be the first stages of mammalian memory formation at the neuronal level. The ability to observe the detailed temporal dynamics of these networks has also led to intriguing speculation regarding the computational role of this structure in spatial navigation.
Areas of ongoing interest include the development of higher density recording, amplification, and microstimulation devices, as well as the use of microminiature telemetry to enable unrestricted study of neuronal ensembles, memory formation, and spatial navigation in freely behaving, unwired animals.
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Modified: Jun 25, 1997|
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