Book publication by BCF/RIKEN members: "Analysis of Parallel Spike Trains"
Action potentials, or spikes, are the most salient expression of neuronal processing in the active brain, and they are likely an important key to understanding the neuronal mechanisms of behavior. However, it is the group dynamics of large networks of neurons that is likely to underlie brain function, and this can only be appreciated if the action potentials from multiple individual nerve cells are observed simultaneously. Techniques that employ multi-electrodes for parallel spike train recordings have been available for many decades, and their use has gained wide popularity among neuroscientists. To reliably interpret the results of such electrophysiological experiments, solid and comprehensible data analysis is crucial. The development of data analysis methods, though, has not really kept pace with the advances in recording technology. Neither general concepts, nor statistical methodology seem adequate for the new experimental possibilities. Promising approaches are scattered across journal publications, and the relevant mathematical background literature is buried deep in journals of different fields. Compiling a useful reader for students or collaborators is both laborious and frustrating. This situation led us to gather state-of-the-art methodologies for analyzing parallel spike trains into a single book, which then might serve as a vantage point for current techniques and a launching point for future development. To our knowledge, this is the first textbook with an explicit focus on the subject. It contains 20 chapters, each of them written by selected experts in the field.
The book's release was celebrated at the BCF on October 13, 2010, with an introduction to the work by Sonja Gruen and Stefan Rotter, and a reception afterwards.