The Recording Chain
The recording chain is the sequence of parts an extracellular signal passes through from the tissue to the file: electrode site, package, headstage, data acquisition system and software; each part is chosen separately, and each choice constrains the next.
The site records the extracellular potential; the package routes it to a connector and sets how the probe is mounted; the headstage amplifies, filters and digitizes it at the head; the data acquisition system acquires the digital data streams from every headstage, synchronizes and timestamps them with the GPIO signals, and streams them to the host computer; the software records, monitors and analyzes them.
The constraints run forward. The package connector fixes which headstage mates it; the headstage fixes which data acquisition system acquires it and whether the chain can stimulate; the DAQ fixes the channel capacity, GPIO and latency available to the protocol. A NeuroNexus probe runs on a SmartLink or X-Series headstage and an XDAQ or Smartbox with no adapter in the path, and the same probe runs on Intan, Open Ephys, Plexon or TDT systems through its standard connector; Radiens monitors any of these streams live. A chain that reports signal quality while it records shows a failed site, reference or bond in the first minutes of a session.
The parts around the chain, the microdrive, commutator, optoelectrode and MRI-conditional builds and adapters, each have their own entry, and the package series are listed under probe package.
Typical values
| Links | site · package · headstage · data acquisition system · software |
|---|---|
| Rule | package fixes the headstage; headstage fixes the DAQ and stimulation; DAQ fixes channels, GPIO and latency |
| NeuroNexus chain | SmartLink or X-Series headstage → XDAQ or Smartbox → Radiens |