Wertenbroek Rick, Thoma Yann, Mor Flavio Maurizio, Grassi Sara, Heuschkel Marc Olivier, Roux Adrien, Stoppini Luc
IEEE Trans Biomed Circuits Syst. 2021 Aug;15(4):743-755. doi: 10.1109/TBCAS.2021.3097833. Epub 2021 Sep 15.
In this paper we present SpikeOnChip, a custom embedded platform for neuronal activity recording and online analysis. The SpikeOnChip platform was developed in the context of automated drug testing and toxicology assessments on neural tissue made from human induced pluripotent stem cells. The system was developed with the following goals: to be small, autonomous and low power, to handle micro-electrode arrays with up to 256 electrodes, to reduce the amount of data generated from the recording, to be able to do computation during acquisition, and to be customizable. This led to the choice of a Field Programmable Gate Array System-On-Chip platform. This paper focuses on the embedded system for acquisition and processing with key features being the ability to record electrophysiological signals from multiple electrodes, detect biological activity on all channels online for recording, and do frequency domain spectral energy analysis online on all channels during acquisition. Development methodologies are also presented. The platform is finally illustrated in a concrete experiment with bicuculline being administered to grown human neural tissue through microfluidics, resulting in measurable effects in the spike recordings and activity. The presented platform provides a valuable new experimental instrument that can be further extended thanks to the programmable hardware and software.
在本文中，我们介绍了SpikeOnChip，这是一个用于神经元活动记录和在线分析的定制嵌入式平台。SpikeOnChip平台是在对由人类诱导多能干细胞制成的神经组织进行自动药物测试和毒理学评估的背景下开发的。该系统的开发目标如下：体积小、自主且低功耗，能够处理多达256个电极的微电极阵列，减少记录产生的数据量，能够在采集过程中进行计算，并且可定制。这导致选择了现场可编程门阵列片上系统平台。本文重点介绍用于采集和处理的嵌入式系统，其关键特性包括能够从多个电极记录电生理信号、在线检测所有通道上的生物活动以进行记录，以及在采集过程中对所有通道进行在线频域谱能量分析。还介绍了开发方法。最后通过一个具体实验展示了该平台，即通过微流控技术向培养的人类神经组织施用荷包牡丹碱，在尖峰记录和活动中产生了可测量的效果。所展示的平台提供了一种有价值的新实验仪器，由于其可编程的硬件和软件，该仪器可以进一步扩展。
