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Mapping slow waves and spikes in chronically instrumented conscious dogs: automated on-line electrogram analysis

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Abstract

Myoelectric recordings from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in conscious animals have been limited in duration and site. Recently, we have implanted 24 electrodes and obtained electrograms from these sites simultaneously (200 Hz sampling rate; 1.1 MB/min data stream). An automated electrogram analysis was developed to process this large amount of data. Myoelectrical recordings from the GI tract often consist of slow wave deflections followed by one or more action potentials (=spike deflections) in the same traces. To analyze these signals, a first module separates the signal into one containing only slow waves and a second one containing only spikes. The timings of these waveforms were then detected, in real time, for all 24 electrograms, in a separate slow wave detection module and a separate spike-detection module. Basic statistics such as timing and amplitudes and the number of spikes per slow wave were performed and displayed on-line. In summary, with this online analysis, it is possible to study for long periods of time and under various experimental conditions major components of gastrointestinal motility.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the expert animal care provided by the staff of the Department of Laboratory Animal Science, in particular Mr. Jef Ceulemans for training the dogs and Mr. Piet Dierckx, DVM, and Mrs. Leen Roefs for daily animal care.

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Correspondence to Wim J. E. P. Lammers.

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Lammers, W.J.E.P., Michiels, B., Voeten, J. et al. Mapping slow waves and spikes in chronically instrumented conscious dogs: automated on-line electrogram analysis. Med Bio Eng Comput 46, 121–129 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-007-0294-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-007-0294-7

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