Latest Updates

Estimated fractions of neurons coding visual objects depend on which spike sorting technique is used.

October 14, 2019 | Research


Peter N Steinmetz 2020 J. Neural Eng. 17 026030. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab6cb8

Dr. Steinmetz used the four different spike sorting techniques which have previously been employed in human intracranial microwave recordings to resort single neuron activity in a previously reported experiment where subjects viewed images of 33 different objects and identified those with faces (Valdez et al. 2015).

The fractions of neurons responding to object depended on both the spike sorting technique used and the brain area being recorded from.

The fraction of sorted clusters of neural activity which are responsive to object identity versus brain area and spike sorting technique.

Levels of agreement between spike sorting techniques were disconcertingly low (~0.1 on a 0-1 scale).

Both the variation in the responsive fractions with spike sorting technique and low levels of agreement between techniques highlight the need for better understanding of the signals being extracted in human intracranial microwire recordings.