AUTHOR=Suter Benjamin A., O'Connor Timothy , Iyer Vijay , Petreanu Leopoldo , Hooks Bryan M., Kiritani Taro , Svoboda  K., Shepherd Gordon M.

TITLE=Ephus: Multipurpose Data Acquisition Software for Neuroscience Experiments

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neural Circuits

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2010

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neural-circuits/articles/10.3389/fncir.2010.00100

DOI=10.3389/fncir.2010.00100

ISSN=1662-5110

ABSTRACT=<p>Physiological measurements in neuroscience experiments often involve complex stimulus paradigms and multiple data channels. <italic>Ephus</italic> (<uri xlink:href="http://www.ephus.org" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">http://www.ephus.org</uri>) is an open-source software package designed for general-purpose data acquisition and instrument control. <italic>Ephus</italic> operates as a collection of modular programs, including an <italic>ephys</italic> program for standard whole-cell recording with single or multiple electrodes in typical electrophysiological experiments, and a <italic>mapper</italic> program for synaptic circuit mapping experiments involving laser scanning photostimulation based on glutamate uncaging or channelrhodopsin-2 excitation. Custom user functions allow user-extensibility at multiple levels, including on-line analysis and closed-loop experiments, where experimental parameters can be changed based on recently acquired data, such as during <italic>in vivo</italic> behavioral experiments. <italic>Ephus</italic> is compatible with a variety of data acquisition and imaging hardware. This paper describes the main features and modules of <italic>Ephus</italic> and their use in representative experimental applications.</p>