title: A Framework for the Comparative Assessment of Neuronal Spike Sorting Algorithms towards More Accurate Off-Line and On-Line Microelectrode Arrays Data Analysis.
abstract: Neuronal spike sorting algorithms are designed to retrieve neuronal network activity on a single-cell level from extracellular multiunit recordings with Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs). In typical analysis of MEA data, one spike sorting algorithm is applied indiscriminately to all electrode signals. However, this approach neglects the dependency of algorithms' performances on the neuronal signals properties at each channel, which require data-centric methods. Moreover, sorting is commonly performed off-line, which is time and memory consuming and prevents researchers from having an immediate glance at ongoing experiments. The aim of this work is to provide a versatile framework to support the evaluation and comparison of different spike classification algorithms suitable for both off-line and on-line analysis. We incorporated different spike sorting "building blocks" into a Matlab-based software, including 4 feature extraction methods, 3 feature clustering methods, and 1 template matching classifier. The framework was validated by applying different algorithms on simulated and real signals from neuronal cultures coupled to MEAs. Moreover, the system has been proven effective in running on-line analysis on a standard desktop computer, after the selection of the most suitable sorting methods. This work provides a useful and versatile instrument for a supported comparison of different options for spike sorting towards more accurate off-line and on-line MEA data analysis.
authors.affiliation: Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6577-9057
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Regalia
authors.affiliation: Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4104-4790
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coelli
authors.affiliation: Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2568-9735
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biffi
authors.affiliation: Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5913-9451
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrigno
authors.affiliation: Neuroengineering and Medical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pedrocchi
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis