Applying the string method to extract bursting information from microelectrode recordings in subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra

Abstract

This paper proposes that bursting characteristics can be effective parameters in classifying and identifying neural activities from subthalamic nucleus (STN) and substantia nigra (SNr). The string method was performed to quantify bursting patterns in microelectrode recordings into indexes. Inter-spike-interval (ISI) was used as one of the independent variables to examine effectiveness and consistency of the method. The results show consistent findings about bursting patterns in STN and SNr data across all ISI constraints. Neurons in STN tend to release a larger number of bursts with fewer spikes in the bursts. Neurons in SNr produce a smaller number of bursts with more spikes in the bursts. According to our statistical evaluation, 50 and 80 ms are suggested as the optimal ISI constraint to classify STN and SNr's bursting patterns by the string method. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.