An 8-channel neural spike processing IC with unsupervised closed-loop control based on spiking probability estimation

This paper presents a neural spike processing IC for simultaneous spike detection, alignment, and transmission on 8 recording channels with unsupervised closed-loop control. In this work, spikes are detected according to online estimated spiking probability maps, which reliably predict the possibility of spike occurrence. The closed-loop control has been made possible by estimating firing rates based on alignment results and turning on/off channels individually and automatically. The 8-channel neural spike processing IC, implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS process, has a varied power dissipation from 36 μW to 54.4 μW per channel at a voltage supply of 1.2 V. The chip also achieves a 380× data rate reduction for the testing in vivo data, allowing easy integration with wireless data transmission modules.