Synchronous Measurements of Extracellular Action Potentials and Neurochemical Activity with Carbon Fiber Electrodes in Nonhuman Primates.

We present a simple method for recording synchronous molecular and neuronal spike signals. Conventional electrophysiological and electrochemical instruments are combined without the need for additional hardware. A custom-designed algorithm was made and validated for extracting neuronal action potential signals with high fidelity. We were able to compute cell-type specific spike activity along with molecular dopamine signals related to reward and movement behaviors from measurements made in the monkey striatum. Such combined measurements of neurochemical and extracellular action potentials may help pave the way to elucidating mechanisms of plasticity, and how neuromodulators and neurons are orchestrated to mediate behavior.