Single Cell Activity in Chronic Recording: A Quantitative Study Unit Amplitude Spectrum

SCHWARTZ, E. L., A. RAMOS AND E. R. JOHN. Single cell activity in chronic unit recording: o quantitative study of the unit amplitude spectrum. BRAIN RES. BULL. l(1) 57-68, 1976. The ratio of standard deviation to mean, of the amplitude spectrum of well resolved single units, is shown to scale exponentially. This scaling is explained on the basis of a consideration of the relationship of extracellular voltage to voltage gradient, in a dendritic neuron model. A method is then advanced to extract, from multi-unit data, normally distributed amplitude spectra which are indistinguishable from those of well resotved single units. This method is suggested as a means of characterizing, in generai, the unit activity obtained from chronically implanted preparations.