Closed Loop Experiment Manager (CLEM)-An Open and Inexpensive Solution for Multichannel Electrophysiological...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biotechnology
• Computer Science

Background:

• Growing demand for real-time multichannel electrophysiological systems for in vivo and in vitro neuronal research.
• Need for cost-effective, reliable, and user-friendly systems for neuro-prosthetic development and experimentation.
• Existing systems often lack flexibility, expandability, or ease of use for complex closed-loop protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey existing commercial and open-source multichannel electrophysiological systems.
• To introduce the Closed Loop Experiments Manager (CLEM) as a novel solution.
• To demonstrate CLEM's capability for flexible, closed-loop experimentation at the neuronal network level.

Main Methods:

• Developed CLEM, an open-source, soft real-time Windows desktop application.
• Utilized a single personal computer (PC) and an inexpensive data acquisition board.
• Implemented a user-friendly graphical interface for recording, presenting, and logging data from up to 64 analog channels.
• Integrated facilities for controlling external devices via digital and analog interfaces.
• Enabled closed-loop protocol execution using dynamic link libraries (DLLs) from various programming languages.

Main Results:

• CLEM provides comprehensive facilities for multichannel electrophysiological data acquisition and device control.
• The system supports flexible closed-loop protocol development through DLL integration.
• Demonstrated effective performance for neuronal network-level closed-loop experimentation using multielectrode arrays (MEAs).

Conclusions:

• CLEM offers a powerful, accessible, and expandable solution for real-time multichannel electrophysiological experiments.
• The system's reliance on generic hardware makes it cost-effective and adaptable.
• CLEM is suitable for advanced closed-loop research, including neuro-prosthetic development and neuronal network studies.