Neurobot » Multiple neural spike train data analysis: state-of-the-art and future challenges

Multiple electrodes are now a standard tool in neuroscience research that make it possible to study the simultaneous activity of several neurons in a given brain region or across different regions. The data from multi-electrode studies present important analysis challenges that must be resolved for optimal use of these neurophysiological measurements to answer questions about how the brain works.

The authors review statistical methods for the analysis of multiple neural spike-train data and discuss future challenges for methodology research.

Emery N Brown, Robert E Kass & Partha P Mitra
Nature Neuroscience 7, 456 – 461 (2004)
Published online: 27 April 2004; | doi:10.1038/nn1228

“Simultaneous recording of multiple neurons offers new promise for investigating fundamental questions, provided the challenging problem of analyzing multiple simultaneously recorded spike trains can be properly addressed.”
The paper reviews some modern spike train analysis methods, including:
o Spike sorting
o Cross-correlogram and cross-intensity function
o Joint peri-stimulus time histogram
o Spike pattern classification methods
o Likelihood methods
o Frequency-domain methods
o Neural spike train decoding
o Information theory
The paper is published in Nature Neuroscience
and can be reached online here