COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE - CGS 609

ELECTRO
PHYSIOLOGY
GROUP 14
KEERTHI S - 210504
NIKHIL VERMA -200637
DIWAKAR PRAJAPATI -220382
What is electrophysiology?

Electrophysiology is a branch of physiology that

focuses on the study of the electrical activity
generated by living organisms, particularly cells,
and how these electrical signals contribute to
various physiological processes.
• All animal cells are surrounded by a cell
membrane, composed of a double layer of
lipids with embedded proteins embedded
• The area inside cells and outside cells are
filled with millions of ions, and the cell
membrane acts to control the movement of
ions in and out of the cell
• This movement of ions across the membrane
can be measured and forms the majority of
electrophysiological experiments.

Electrophysiology
1)Intracelluar 2)Extracellular
Intracellular Electrophysiology

• Intracellular electrophysiology involves

obtaining electrical information from the
interior of a cell
• As the cell membrane is an effective
barrier to ions, the main way to determine
the intracellular activity is to physically
pierce through the cell membrane
• In general, while intracellular recordings
are highly accurate with a great temporal
resolution, they are limited by the fact that
they can only record from one cell at a
time.
Extracellular Electrophysiology

• Rather than obtain recordings from within a

cell, it is also possible to take
electrophysiological recordings from the
exterior of a cell
• Extracellular recordings are less accurate as
the cell membrane is between the electrode
and the signal, but these recordings can be
taken quickly, easily and from hundreds of
cells simultaneously.

Extracellular Electrophysiology

1)Single unit 2)Multi unit

Brief History of Single-Unit
Electrophysiology:

• Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta(1790's)

• Hodgkin and Huxley model (1952)
• Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann -Patch
Clamp Technique (1976)
• Introduction of Microelectrodes
• Development of Intracellular Recording
Techniques
• Discovery of Neuronal Properties
• The main working principle of single-unit Single unit
electrophysiology
electrophysiology involves the recording of the
electrical activity of an individual neuron. This
technique provides a detailed understanding of
the firing patterns, action potentials, and
responses of a specific neuron
• When a neuron generates an action potential,
the signal propagates down the neuron as a
current which flows in and out of the cell through
excitable membrane regions in the soma and
axon
• A microelectrode is inserted into the brain, where
it can record the rate of change in voltage with
respect to time
1)Microelectrode Insertion:

• A microelectrode is an electrode used for

recording neural signals or for the electrical
stimulation of nervous tissue
• A fine microelectrode is carefully inserted
into the target tissue, such as the brain or a
specific nerve. The microelectrode is usually
made of glass or metal and is designed to be
thin and sharp to minimize tissue damage
during insertion.
• Usually filled with 3 molars potassium
chloride solution as the electrical conductor
2)Detection of Voltage Changes:

• The microelectrode is equipped with

sensors that can detect minute voltage
changes in the surrounding tissue.
• When a neuron is active, it generates
changes in voltage known as action
potentials.
3)Amplification and Filtering:
• The recorded signals are typically weak
and need to be amplified to be
effectively analyzed.
• Additionally, filtering techniques are
applied to remove noise and focus on
the relevant electrical activity
associated with the targeted neuron
4)Signal analysis and data interpretation:
• The amplified and filtered signals are then
analyzed to extract information about the
firing patterns and characteristics of the
individual neuron. This involves identifying
action potentials, measuring the frequency
of firing, and understanding the temporal
dynamics of the neuron's activity.
 Brief History of Multi-Unit
Electrophysiology:
• In the late 19th century, Richard Caton
(1842-1926) recorded the first brain
electrical signals from the exposed cortex of
animals.
• The origin of the heartbeat and the
existence of bioelectricity were discovered
by various scientists, such as Galvani, Volta,
and Galen.
• The development of microelectrode arrays,
wireless recording systems, and spike
sorting algorithms
 • Multi-unit electrophysiology is a
technique that measures the sum total of

Multi-Unit
electrical activity across a cell membrane
from a population of neurons.

• It is different from single unit

electrophysiology, which measures the Electro
physiology
activity of individual neurons based on the
shape of their spikes.

• Multi-unit electrophysiology can reveal

the temporal relationships among different
neurons and their responses to stimuli or
behaviors.
 Equipment and Setup for Multi-Unit
Electrophysiology

Electrode Amplifiers and Signal Data Acquisition

Arrays Processors Software

Specialized electrode
High-quality amplifiers Specialized software is
arrays are used to
and signal processing employed to visualize
capture the electrical
systems are essential for
signals from multiple and store the recorded
neurons. They are capturing and amplifying
neural activity,
designed to be the neural signals with
minimally invasive and minimal noise
providing the necessary
are crucial for accurate interference. tools for in-depth
multi-unit recordings. analysis.
 Data Acquisition and Analysis in Multi-Unit
Electrophysiology Unit
Signal Spike Sorting Data
Processing Visualization
Advanced algorithms
are utilized to Specialized
The raw electrical signals categorize individual visualization tools are
captured by the neuron spikes from the used to represent the
electrodes undergo multi-unit recordings, recorded neural activity,
various processing enabling detailed allowing researchers to
stages to extract the analysis of neuronal identify distinctive firing
relevant neural activity activity patterns. patterns and network
while removing noise interactions
 Advantages: Advantages:
Single-Unit Electrophysiology

Multiunit Electrophysiology
1.High Resolution 1.Population-Level Understanding
2.Cell-Specific Insights 2.Network Analysis
3.Fine Temporal Precision 3.Easier Implementation

Limitations: Limitations:
1.Limited Coverage 1.Lack of Specificity
2.Labor-Intensive 2.Lower Temporal Resolution
3.Sampling Bias 3.Difficulty in Data
Interpretation
Applications of Electrophysiology
01
Neuroscience Research
Helps researchers investigate
how neurons communicate
with each other, which is
essential for understanding
brain function and
neurological disorders.
02
Cardiac Electrophysiology
Extensively used in
cardiology to study the
electrical activity of the
heart. This is essential for
diagnosing and treating
various cardiac arrhythmias
and other heart-related
disorders
03
Drug Discovery and
Development
Pharmaceutical researchers
use electrophysiology to
assess the effects of drugs
on cellular and tissue
electrical activity. This
information is vital for drug
development
Electrophysiology vs.
Imaging Techniques

Advantage of Electrophysiology: Provides direct

measurement of electrical activity at the cellular
or tissue level

Limitation: Limited spatial resolution compared to

imaging techniques like fMRI