Physical principles for scalable neural recording

Simultaneously measuring the activities of all neurons in a mammalian brain at millisecond resolution is a challenge beyond the limits of existing techniques in neuroscience. Entirely new approaches may be required, motivating an analysis of the fundamental physical constraints on the problem. We outline the physical principles governing brain activity mapping using optical, electrical, magnetic resonance, and molecular modalities of neural recording. Focusing on the mouse brain, we analyze the scalability of each method, concentrating on the limitations imposed by spatiotemporal resolution, energy dissipation, and volume displacement. Based on this analysis, all existing approaches require orders of magnitude improvement in key parameters. Electrical recording is limited by the low multiplexing capacity of electrodes and their lack of intrinsic spatial resolution, optical methods are constrained by the scattering of visible light in brain tissue, magnetic resonance is hindered by the diffusion and relaxation timescales of water protons, and the implementation of molecular recording is complicated by the stochastic kinetics of enzymes. Understanding the physical limits of brain activity mapping may provide insight into opportunities for novel solutions. For example, unconventional methods for delivering electrodes may enable unprecedented numbers of recording sites, embedded optical devices could allow optical detectors to be placed within a few scattering lengths of the m...

;import{g as i,s as o,r as s,e as a,a as u,h as l,b as c,i as h,t as f,c as d,d as p,f as m,j as g,k as y,l as b,K as v,_ as w,S as E,m as _,o as C,w as M,n as S,p as O,q as B,u as D,v as I,x as T,y as x,z as R,A as N,U as k,H as F,B as L,C as P,Y as U,D as j,E as q,F as z,G as $,I as V,J as H,L as W,M as G,N as K,O as Z,P as Y,Q as J,R as X,T as Q,V as AA,W as eA,X as tA,Z as rA,$ as nA,a0 as iA,a1 as oA,a2 as sA,a3 as aA,a4 as uA,a5 as lA,a6 as cA,a7 as hA,a8 as fA,a9 as dA,aa as pA,ab as mA,ac as gA,ad as yA,ae as bA,af as vA,ag as wA,ah as EA,ai as _A,aj as CA,ak as MA,al as SA,am as OA,an

related reading

• [1306.5709] Physical Principles for Scalable Neural Recordingarxiv.org
• An underleveraged modality in neuroscience | Abhi Upadhyayaxu.sh
• Frontiers | Natural Image Reconstruction From fMRI Using Deep Learning: A Surveyfrontiersin.org
• Frontiers | Ultrasound Neuromodulation: Mechanisms and the Potential of Multimodal Stimulation for Neuronal Function Assessmentfrontiersin.org
• Frontiers | Decoding EEG Brain Activity for Multi-Modal Natural Language Processingfrontiersin.org
• Frontiers | End-to-End Deep Image Reconstruction From Human Brain Activityfrontiersin.org
• Dimensionality reduction in neural data analysisxcorr.net
• Frontiers | The Computational Boundary of a “Self”: Developmental Bioelectricity Drives Multicellularity and Scale-Free Cognitionfrontiersin.org
• Frontiers | Feature Extraction and Classification Methods for Hybrid fNIRS-EEG Brain-Computer Interfacesfrontiersin.org
• Towards a “universal translator” for neural dynamics at single-cell, single-spike resolutionarxiv.org
• High-Speed, Cortex-Wide Volumetric Recording of Neuroactivity at Cellular Resolution using Light Beads Microscopy | bioRxivbiorxiv.org
• Frontiers | The Defensive Activation Theory: REM Sleep as a Mechanism to Prevent Takeover of the Visual Cortexfrontiersin.org