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.

中文翻译：

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SpikeOnChip：用于神经元活动记录和分析的定制嵌入式平台


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 平台是在对人类诱导多能干细胞制成的神经组织进行自动化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：小型、自主和低功耗，处理多达 256 个电极的微电极阵列，减少记录生成的数据量，能够在采集过程中进行计算，并可定制。这导致选择现场可编程门阵列片上系统平台。本文重点研究用于采集和处理的嵌入式系统，其主要特点是能够记录来自多个电极的电生理信号，在线检测所有通道的生物活性以进行记录，并在采集过程中对所有通道进行在线频域频谱能量分析。还介绍了开发方法。该平台最终在具体实验中得到说明，通过微流体将荷包牡丹碱施用于生长的人类神经组织，从而在尖峰记录和活动中产生可测量的效果。所提出的平台提供了一种有价值的新型实验仪器，由于可编程硬件和软件，该仪器可以进一步扩展。