Overview
Neuropixels are high-density silicon probes manufactured by IMEC. For information on how to order them, please visit neuropixels.org.
Currently, Neuropixels probes come in two varieties, "Phase 3a" and "Neuropixels 1.0." The following table compares these two types of probes.
Phase 3a | Neuropixels 1.0 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manufactured between | 2016-2018 | 2018-present | ||
Sold to | Neuropixels consortium | General public (via lottery system) | ||
Site layout | checkerboard | checkerboard or linear | ||
Shank length | 5 mm (options 1 & 2); 10 mm (options 3 & 4) | 10 mm | ||
Site count | 384-960 | 960 | ||
References | 1 external, 10-30 internal | 1 external, 1 tip, 3 internal | ||
Cable | Dual coax (white) | Single twisted pair (black and yellow) | ||
Acquisition system | Ethernet (based on KC705 eval board) | PXIe | ||
Max probes per computer | 3 | 16 | ||
Compatible software | SpikeGLX, Open Ephys GUI | SpikeGLX, Open Ephys GUI | ||
Open Ephys plugin | Neuropix-3a | Neuropix-PXI |
Combining Neuropixels with the Open Ephys GUI
The Neuropixels-specific version of the Open Ephys GUI can be downloaded from https://github.com/open-ephys-GUI-binaries/open-ephys/tree/neuropix.
It’s possible to download all the necessary files as a ZIP archive, using the “Download ZIP” button in the upper right. But we strongly recommend using the GitHub Desktop Client, so it’s easier to ensure you’re running the latest version.
To do this, install the GitHub Desktop Client found at https://desktop.github.com, then use the “Clone in Desktop” button to save a copy of the repository to your machine. Make sure the “neuropix” branch is active before you do so.
Any future software updates can be downloaded by pressing the “Sync” button inside the Desktop Client.
Inside the directory (called “open-ephys” or “open-ephys-neuropix” if you downloaded the ZIP file), you can run the application by launching open-ephys.exe. The executable must remain in this directory in order to access the associated DLL files, but you can create a link that resides elsewhere.
Note: We had to compile a 32-bit application because IMEC supplied a 32-bit library for communicating with the probes. If they eventually create a 64-bit library, we will switch to a 64-bit application.
Once you launch Open Ephys, you can connect to your probe(s) by dragging and dropping the appropriate plugin onto the signal chain. If you're using the "Phase 3a" probes with an Ethernet data acquisition system, use the Neuropix-3a plugin. If you're using the "Neuropixels 1.0" probes with a PXIe data acquisition system, use the Neuropix-PXI plugin.
For more information on how to use the Open Ephys GUI, please check out this tutorial.