Expanding support and training for new users of next-generation electrophysiology probes

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary: Over the past decade, the capacity of electrophysiology has risen 5-10X driven in large part by the introduction of Neuropixels 1.0 in 2017. The addition of the smaller 384 channel Neuropixels 2.0 probe in 2023 enables facile chronic use, 2 probes with the head stage weighs less than 1.3 grams. The pending introduction of the 1536 channel probe Neuropixels 2.0 QuadBase in Q2 2024 followed by the Neuropixels 2.0 size 1536 channels Neuropixels NXT Probe (developed entirely with support from NIH U01 NS115587) will add to the more than 1200 labs using Neuropixels. All these probes are sold by the fabricator, imec, at cost with no support. To date the principal support channels have been the Neuropixels Slack channel, once annual classes through an expired Wellcome Trust grant at University College London and an expiring U24 at the Allen Institute (U24 NS109043). The development consortium for Neuropixels 1.0 and 2.0 do an annual survey to understand community needs. The leading request from this survey is more classes. This application will provide at least 4 classes per year for at least 12 students per class. The classes with emphasize hands on experience and practice, with the object that the students have enough experience to return to their home labs with the knowledge to setup and record from live animals with Neuropixels and analyze the data they produce. The class will not teach rodent surgery, but a demonstration of chronic implants will be offered for at least once per year. The advent of pinpoint surgery planning, now integrated into SpikeGLX and OpenEphys recording software will regularize and speed multiprobe insertion experiments. Equally critical to data generation, relatively simple once the anxiety for handling Neuropixels probes is contained, is data digestion and interpretation. A simple two probe Neuropixels NXT recording will generate nearly a 1 TB (terabyte)/hour. Digestion and understanding of such large data sets require a fundamental shift in data management and information extraction. This process will be in hand by the teaching labs but will evolve quickly over the timeline of this application. Students will analyze data they generate during the class. We will evolve the content of this segment of our course as the methods and tools evolve over the 5 years. More than one of the host labs maintains activity in data analysis pipeline creation and spike sorting evaluation This project will provide support for the Neuropixels Slack channel (current users number ~4,400) and a suite of online free instructional videos for all the Neuropixels systems including the OneBox recording system expected in Q2, 2024. All lectures will be archived for online viewing on the NeuropixelsCentral YouTube channel. Critical for a 5 year timeline in a space evolving as fast as high channel electrophysiology will be to evolve the course content and recruit instructors at the forefront of the subject. That the host groups are large volume Neuropixels users will ensure content remains current.