The coherence between oscillatory activity in local field potentials (LFPs) and single neuron action potentials, or spikes, has been suggested as a neural substrate for the representation of information. The power spectrum of a spike-triggered average (STA) is commonly used to estimate spike field coherence (SFC). However, when a finite number of spikes is used to construct the STA, the coherence estimator is biased. We introduce here a correction for the bias imposed by the limited number of spikes available in experimental conditions. In addition, we present an alternative method for estimating SFC from an STA by using a filter bank approach. This method is shown to be more appropriate in some analyses, such as comparing coherence across frequency bands. The proposed bias correction is a linear transformation derived from an idealized model of spike-field interaction but is shown to hold in more realistic settings. Uncorrected and corrected SFC estimates from both estimation methods are compared across multiple simulated spike-field models and experimentally collected data. The bias correction was shown to reduce the bias of the estimators, but add variance. However, the corrected estimates had a reduced or unchanged mean squared error in the majority of conditions evaluated. The bias correction provides an effective way to reduce bias in an SFC estimator without increasing the mean squared error.
Background: The growing use of neuromodulation techniques to treat neurological disorders has motivated efforts to improve on the safety and reliability of implantable nerve stimulators. New Method: The present study describes the ReStore system, a miniature, implantable wireless nerve stimulator system that has no battery or leads and is constructed using commercial components and processes. The implant can be programmed wirelessly to deliver charge-balanced, biphasic current pulses of varying amplitudes, pulse widths, frequencies, and train durations. Here, we describe bench and in vivo testing to evaluate the operational performance and efficacy of nerve recruitment. Additionally, we also provide results from a large-animal chronic active stimulation study assessing the long-term biocompatibility of the device. Results: The results show that the system can reliably deliver accurate stimulation pulses through a range of different loads. Tests of nerve recruitment demonstrate that the implant can effectively activate peripheral nerves, even after accelerated aging and post-chronic implantation. Biocompatibility and hermeticity tests provide an initial indication that the implant will be safe for use in humans. Comparison with Existing Method(s): Most commercially available nerve stimulators include a battery and wire leads which often require subsequent surgeries to address failures in these components. Though miniaturized battery-less stimulators have been prototyped in academic labs, they are often constructed using custom components and processes that hinder clinical translation.
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