Elph: An open-source program for acquisition control and analysis of electrophysiological signals

A.V. Zakharov

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, 420012 Russia

E-mail: AnVZaharov@kpfu.ru

Received November 14, 2018

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DOI: 10.26907/2542-064X.2019.2.245-254

For citation: Zakharov A.V. Elph: An open-source program for acquisition control and analysis of electrophysiological signals. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Estestvennye Nauki, 2019, vol. 161, no. 2, pp. 245–254. doi: 10.26907/2542-064X.2019.2.245-254 (In Russian)

Abstract

The Elph program designed for acquisition and analysis of electrophysiological signals using an analog-to-digital converter LA‑2USB (Rudnev-Shelyaev, Russia) was described. This program has been implemented in various electrophysiological studies, including synchronous recordings of evoked electromyographic responses and muscle contractions, monitoring and continuous recording of membrane potential, as well as for detection, acquisition, and analysis of spontaneous and evoked neuronal action potentials and postsynaptic responses. In addition, as a software tool for LA‑2USB, the program enables to control TTL-compatible devices. It can also be used as a digital oscilloscope in a wider range of applications where a continuous or episodic recording of analogous signals is required.

Keywords: data acquisition, Elph, LA‑2USB device driving, digitization, digital oscilloscope

Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the subsidy allocated to Kazan Federal University for the state assignment in the sphere of scientific activities (project no. 6.5520.2017/9.10).

Figure Captions

Fig. 1. Home screen of the Elph program.

Fig. 2. Test signals recorded in the regimes of detection of the limiting thresholds of spontaneous responses (a, c) and “Oscillograph” (b, d). “Saw” parameters in b and d: peak-to-peak 3.1 V; cycle 50 ms. Horizontal lines show the limiting threshold for signal detection (1800 mV in b, 1500 mV in a, c, and d).

Fig. 3. Example of the recorded neuromuscular end-plate potentials in a mouse. Single evoked (a, on the left) and spontaneous (b, on the left) responses. The central areas represent the diagrams showing the amplitude curves of evoked and spontaneous signals, respectively. Right part – histogram of the signal amplitudes, which is updated as signals accumulate in the experiment (data provided by P.N. Grigor'ev, Kazan State Medical University).

Fig. 4. Example of the recorded myocardial contractility (ventricle preparation) in rats. Left part – single contractions in four preparations, recorded simultaneously. Right part – diagrams showing the amplitude of contractions in the corresponding preparations (data provided by N.N. Khaertdinov, Kazan Federal University).

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