Optimal inter-electrode distances for maximizing single unit yield per electrode in neural recordings

Meszéna Domokos; Fadel Ward; Tóth Róbert; Paulk Angelique C.; Cash Sydney S.; Williams Ziv; Kiss Tamás; Stippinger Marcell; Wittner Lucia; Fiáth Richárd; Somogyvári Zoltán: Optimal inter-electrode distances for maximizing single unit yield per electrode in neural recordings.
MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING, 12 (1). ISSN 2096-1030 (2026)

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Folyóiratcikk

Szerző azonosítók:

Név	ORCID	MTMT szerző azonosító
Meszéna Domokos	0000-0003-4042-2542	10047398
Fadel Ward		10065230
Tóth Róbert	0000-0003-4531-3337
Paulk Angelique C.
Cash Sydney S.	0000-0002-4557-6391
Williams Ziv
Kiss Tamás		10012667
Stippinger Marcell	0000-0002-9954-8089	10042579
Wittner Lucia	0000-0001-6800-0953	10001192
Fiáth Richárd	0000-0001-8732-2691	10018150
Somogyvári Zoltán		10017145

Absztrakt (kivonat):

State-of-the-art high-density multielectrode arrays enable the recording of simultaneous spiking activity from hundreds of neurons. Although significant efforts have been dedicated to enhancing neural recording devices and developing more efficient sorting algorithms, there has been relatively less focus on the allocation of microelectrodes–a factor that undeniably affects spike sorting effectiveness and ultimately the total number of detected neurons. Here, we systematically examined the relationship between optimal electrode spacing and spike sorting efficiency by creating virtual sparser layouts from high-density recordings through spatial downsampling. We assessed spike sorting performance by comparing the quantity of well-isolated single units per electrode in sparse configurations across various brain regions (neocortex and thalamus), species (rat, mouse, and human) and various spike-sorting algorithms. Enabling the theoretical estimation of optimal electrode arrangements, we complement experimental results with a geometrical modeling framework. Contrary to the general assumption that higher electrode density inherently leads to more efficient sorting, both our theoretical and experimental results reveal a clear optimum for electrode spacing specific to species and regions. We demonstrate that carefully choosing optimal electrode distances could yield a total of 1.7–3.75 times increase in spike sorting efficiency. These findings emphasize the necessity of species- and region-specific microelectrode design optimization.

Folyóirat címe:

MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING

Megjelenés éve:

2026

Kötet:

Szám:

ISSN:

2096-1030

Intézmény:

Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem

Kar:

Információs Technológiai és Bionikai Kar (2013.07.-)