Multi-Electrode Spike Sorting by Clustering Transfer Functions
A new paradigm is proposed for sorting spikes in multielectrode data using ratios of transfer functions between cells and electrodes. It is assumed that for every cell and electrode there is a stable linear relation. These are dictated by the properties of the tissue, the electrodes and their relative geometries. The main advantage of the method is that it is insensitive to variations in the shape and amplitude of a spike. Spike sorting is carried out in two separate steps. First, templates describing the statistics of each spike type are generated by clustering transfer function ratios then spikes are detected in the data using the spike statistics. These techniques were applied to data generated in the escape response system of the cockroach.