An engineered home environment for untethered data telemetry from nonhuman primates

Lesion Studies in Contemporary Neuroscience

Studies of humans with focal brain damage and non-human animals with experimentally induced brain lesions have provided pivotal insights into the neural basis of behavior. As the repertoire of neural manipulation and recording techniques expands, the utility of studying permanent brain lesions bears re-examination. Studies on the effects of permanent lesions provide vital data about brain function that are distinct from those of reversible manipulations. Focusing on work carried out in humans and nonhuman primates, we address the inferential strengths and limitations of lesion studies, recent methodological developments, the integration of this approach with other methods, and the clinical and ecological relevance of this research. We argue that lesion studies are essential to the rigorous assessment of neuroscience theories.

An Inductively-Powered Wireless Neural Recording and Stimulation System for Freely-Behaving Animals

An inductively-powered wireless integrated neural recording and stimulation (WINeRS-8) system-on-a-chip (SoC) that is compatible with the EnerCage-HC2 for wireless/battery-less operation has been presented for neuroscience experiments on freely behaving animals. WINeRS-8 includes a 32-ch recording analog front end, a 4-ch current-controlled stimulator, and a 434 MHz on - off keying data link to an external software- defined radio wideband receiver (Rx). The headstage also has a bluetooth low energy link for controlling the SoC. WINeRS-8/EnerCage-HC2 systems form a bidirectional wireless and battery-less neural interface within a standard homecage, which can support longitudinal experiments in an enriched environment. Both systems were verified in vivo on rat animal model, and the recorded signals were compared with hardwired and battery-powered recording results. Realtime stimulation and recording verified the system's potential for bidirectional neural interfacing within the homecage, while continuously delivering 35 mW to the hybrid WINeRS-8 headstage over an unlimited period.