MAIN CHANGES

OmniPlex Manual

----------------------

None, but see Quick Start Guide that is installed in the Manual folder.

Improvements

------------------

- added support for up to 128 channel configurations (using two AD64 cards + two amplifiers)

- added support for strobed (mode 3) digital input operation on both DI ports

- added optional user-configurable spike low-pass filter for use in high-noise environments

- added ability to automatically load a defaults or user-designated PXC file when PlexControl starts up

- significantly reduced CPU usage, especially during recording

- improved speed of command processing (e.g. set all channels to same gain or threshold)

Changes

-------------

- fixed spike/FP separator filters to use Bessel filters instead of Butterworth

Bug Fixes

-------------

- fixed crash that sometimes occurred after changing sorting methods

- fixed crash that sometimes occurred when waveform length was increased

- fixed numerous UI bugs

http://www.plexon.com/company.html#Newsletters

43 neuroscientists from the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia attended the 3-day technical workshop. The meeting resulted in many detailed, practical discussions and hands-on training sessions with the Plexon staff.

The power point presentations and other materials from the meeting are available for download below.

Pictures from the meeting are also available below.

Description

The workshop covered a variety of topics related to extracellular neural recording, including

• OmniPlex data acquisition tutorial and training - Dr. Sherman Wiebe, Plexon
• MAP and Recorder system tutorial and training - Damon Gee and Chris Heydrick, Plexon
• Spike sorting methods and approaches in Offline Sorter including automatic and batch-mode processing - Dr. Sherman Wiebe and Dr. Dave Schmid
• CinePlex video capture, position tracking, and behavioral analysis - Dr. Rebecca Burwell, Brown University; Dr. Tanya Mukhina, Plexon
• U-Probe electrode implantation procedures and recording - Dr. Bruce Cumming, NIH
• Floating microeletrode array (FMA) implantation and recording - Dr. Adam Davidson, Laboratory of Dr. Marc Schieber, University of Rochester
• Filters, phase transforms, and FPAlign - Dr. Craig Patten, Plexon
• Spike-FP and FP-FP Coherence Analysis - Dr. Hemant Bokil, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Medametrics LLC
• Chronic microwire array implantation procedure in rat - Andrew Klein, Plexon
• Neurophysiological data analysis in Neuroexplorer - Alex Kirilov, Plexon and Nex Technologies
• Introduction and demonstration of new 4-ch and 8-ch disposable microdrive for rodent - Robert Rennaker, University of Texas at Dallas

DALLAS -(Business Wire)-

Plexon Inc, www.plexoninc.com, Dallas-based maker of neurotechnology research systems, announced the sale of its 500th Multi-Channel Acquisition Processor (MAP) system since the company was founded in 1983.

The MAP system, or "Harvey Box" as it is called by many brain researchers after its inventor, Harvey Wiggins, is a modular system used for amplifying, filtering and sorting extracellular spike action potentials in real time from up to 128 microelectrodes that are implanted in the brain and nervous system. The original development work on the MAP system was funded through SBIR grants in the early 1990s from the NIH Neural Prosthesis Program under the direction of Dr. William Heetderks.

Although new methods of brain imaging such as fMRI have helped locate many functional regions in the brain, researchers require greater spatial and temporal signal resolution to reveal how brain cells encode information. Plexon's MAP system provides this high level of resolution by recording directly from individual neurons.

"The MAP system is specially designed to record and analyze signals from many individual brain cells simultaneousely," said Sherman Wiebe, Ph.D., Plexon Director of Sales and Marketing. "This has driven our annual sales of the device steadily higher since its market launch in 1994."

The original system effectively spawned Plexon's growing product line, which today includes everything from electrodes and electrode microdrive positioning systems, to the preamplifiers that isolate and condition the signals, spike sorting and analysis programs, video recording and tracking systems, and other innovations for neurophysiology research.

"A passion for neuroscience research, innovative product development, and dedicated customer support are important reasons for Plexo's longevity and widespread recognition as the industry's standard-bearer," said Harvey Wiggins, Plexon president.

Over the years, Plexon has played a significant role in supplying equipment for research projects that have had a significant impact on the scientific community's understanding of the brain. Research areas include:

• neuorprosthetics and brain-maching interface research
• basic sensory perception and motor control
• attention, cognition, and decision-making
• sleep studies

Some notable Plexon customers over the years include:

• Richard Andersen, Caltech
• Samual Deadwyler, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Robert Desimone, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT
• Howard Eichenbaum, Boston University
• Earl Miller, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, MIT
• Miguel Nicolelis, Duke University
• Andrew Schwartz, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Joe Tsien, Medical College of Georgia

"Although Plexon's systems are not inexpensive, they represent a very good lifetime value given their reliability and durability," said Dr. Wiebe. "Many of the original systems sold over a decade ago are still actively used, supporting multiple generations of scientists and contributing to the results of long-standing neurological studies. We take pride in our ongoing relationships with our customers and our customer support, which extends many years after the sale."

Along with the popularity of the MAP system, Plexon has grown steadily over the years. Plexon now employs 25 people in Dallas, Texas, serving more than 400 neuroscience research labs, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies.

For more information about Plexon or the MAP system, contact Sherman Wiebe at 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexoninc.com.

DALLAS-(Business Wire)

Plexon, Inc., www.plexon.com, Dallas-based developer of neurotechnology research systems, is pleased to announce the sale of over $1.2 million in neuroscience research equipment, including several of Plexon's acclaimed Multi-channel Acquisition Processor (MAP) systems, to Dr. Joe Tsien, Ph.D., Co-director of the Brain Discovery Institute, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Systems Neurobiology, and Professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

Dr. Tsien's purchase spans the entire Plexon product line, including headstage amplifiers, multiple 128-channel MAP boxes, four of which are synchronized to function as a combined 512-channel system, real-time acquisition and offline spike sorting software for multi-trodal electrodes, as well as newly-developed CinePlex™ video tracking and behavioral analysis software. Dr. Tsien uses Plexon MAP equipment and software for acquiring and analyzing the spike action and local field potentials from implanted microelectrodes in mice and other animals.

"We considered two other suppliers before choosing Plexon," Dr. Tsien said. "However, our positive experience in working with Plexon over the past seven years, combined with their system's ease-of-use, superior functionality and flexibility in responding to our particular research requirements made Plexon the clear choice."

Dr. Tsien cited Plexon's superior online data display, stereotrode and tetrode spike sorting ability, willingness to synchronize multiple MAP systems to achieve high-density recording, and increased video capture speed and processing capability as specific points of difference for selecting Plexon. He also collaborates with a group of neuroscience researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics who use the same Plexon equipment; this common technological platform facilitates the seamless sharing of information and transition of people across continents.

Dr. Tsien will employ the new equipment in his continued study of how the brain processes, modifies and stores information related to episodic memory and cognition. His recent experimental discoveries were featured in the March 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the July 2007 cover story of Scientific American and the March 2008 issue of Der Spiegel newsweekly.

"By studying high density recordings of neuronal ensembles in genetically engineered mouse models, we hope to gain a window of understanding into the mechanisms by which diseases such as Alzheimer's interfere with information processing in the brain," Dr. Tsien said. He will use the new Plexon equipment to record simultaneous neural activity in multiple brain regions.

Dr. Tsien gained fame in 1999 when he created a genetically enhanced smart mouse known as "Doogie" at Princeton University. Doogie performed substantially better than other mice on recognition memory tests. That year, Dr. Tsien made the cover of Time magazine, and his work was named among Science magazine's top 10 scientific breakthroughs.

"We have been a trusted supplier of Dr. Tsien since his first purchase with us at Princeton University in 2003," said Sherman Wiebe, Ph.D., Plexon Director of Sales and Marketing. "Since then, we have followed his program to East China Normal University in Shanghai, to Boston University and now the Medical College of Georgia. This sale marks the natural progression of that continuing relationship." Plexon is currently working with Dr. Tsien to develop a new set of automated video-based behavioral analyses within the Plexon CinePlex&TM; platform.

Harvey Wiggins, who invented the MAP system, or "Harvey Box" as it is widely known today, founded Plexon in 1983. The company currently works with more than 400 research labs, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and universities worldwide, and provides a full line of neural data acquisition equipment and analysis software, video recording and tracking systems, headstage amplifiers, electrodes, electrode microdrives and other innovations and accessories for electrophysiological research. The original development work on the MAP system was funded as an SBIR grant from the NIH Neural Prosthesis Program under the direction of Dr. William Heetderks.

For more information about Plexon or the MAP system, contact Sherman Wiebe at 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon to Exhibit at the 2006 Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc., a developer of hardware and software for brain and nervous system research, will be demonstrating their systems at the 2006 Society for Neuroscience, Annual meeting in Atlanta Georgia.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc. provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon to Exhibit at the 2006 Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc, a developer of hardware and software for brain and nervous system research,will be attending the UK Spike Train Workshop at the University of Newcastle.

"Newcastle has recently been awarded an EPSRC grant to host a major international workshop on spike train analysis. Technology to record from small populations of neurones has improved rapidly over the last decade; however, advances in analytic techniques to interrogate this massive data stream have lagged behind. The workshop aims to bring together individuals from neuroscience, mathematics, computing and statistics to work on developing novel analytic tools."

"Each participant will be expected to come with an analysis problem, for which existing techniques are inadequate. After giving brief presentations on their problem, participants will work to develop novel solutions. This will involve informal discussions, and trying out ideas generated by actually programming them. To assist this, each participant will have access to a networked workstation running MATLAB software for the entire duration of the workshop. Didactic lectures are scheduled throughout the workshop to introduce participants to cutting ege techniques from computer science, such as distributed computing and advanced data visualisation. By offering an open, collaborative environment with a wide range of expertise, we hope many delegates will make progress with their analysis problems which would not otherwise have been possible."

When is the Workshop?
The workshop is scheduled to run for 2 weeks, from 28th August - 8th September, in the University of Newcastle. All travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses for participants will be met.

How can I apply?
Places will allocated by open competition, via an application process which has now been determined. Click here to find more application information.

For further information see the list of FAQ's. For general queries regarding the Workshop or to be placed on the application e-mail list, please contact Dr Stuart Baker (stuart.baker@ncl.ac.uk).

About Plexon
Plexon Inc provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Donates Brain Research Equipment to Shanghai Jiao Tong University:
Donation further expands Plexon's role in China

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc, a developer of hardware and software for brain and nervous system research, announces it is donating one of its MEA Workstations to Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Tracy Wiggins, Plexon engineer and wife of Plexon founder Harvey Wiggins, received her undergraduate degree from Jiao Tong where she studied biomedical engineering. The donation will be made in the name of Tracy and Harvey Wiggins.

Shanghai Jiao Tong will use the MEA Workstation to study how internal cell layers of the retina process light intensity and color. It permits 64 channels of neural signals from the cells of the retina, which have been placed on a multi-electrode array (MEA) plate, to be recorded and analyzed in real-time. The system computes and displays statistical features of the response of the retinal cells to light stimulation. Tracy Wiggins' classmate of 20 years ago, Pei-ji Liang, D. Phil., is now a professor of biomedical engineering at Jiao Tong and is leading the research.

"Plexon's MEA Workstation will allow us to expand our research in light processing by the retina and ultimately provide more biological knowledge for the application of retinal prostheses to retina degeneration disease," said Dr. Liang, Professor and Group Head, Laboratory of Neural Information Processing, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. "The Plexon equipment will facilitate our research by providing real-time neural spike processing and immediate feedback of the progress of our experiments."

Plexon's donation of neuroscience research equipment to Jiao Tong is believed to be the first of its kind by a U.S. company to a Chinese university. Plexon has already delivered six Plexon Multichannel Acquisition Processor (MAP) systems to East China Normal University. Several more sales in China are expected in the near future.

"I'm pleased we are able to support scientific research with the donation of the MEA Workstation to my alma mater," said Tracy Wiggins of Plexon. "Shanghai Jiao Tong was the first university in China to establish an interdisciplinary program in biomedical engineering and is known as the Asian MIT. Coincidently, I received a graduate electrical engineering degree from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), which has a relationship with Jiao Tong."

Plexon's MAP systems are also deployed by the UTD Aging and Memory Research Lab. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Texas at Dallas, Shanghai Zhizu Science-Based Industrial Park and Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce signed a "four-corner" Memorandum of Understanding for joint intellectual and economic development for both regions.

"Plexon's effort is an important step in the implementation of the joint development," said Dr. Da Hsuan Feng, Vice President for Research and Graduate Education at UTD. "I am really pleased to see that Plexon has developed such a relationship with one of China's premier universities."

Plexon is continuing to build a strong relationship with China and has recently helped sponsor two Chinese conferences - The Third International Symposium on Brain Functional Genomics in Shanghai on May 26, and The First International Conference and USA-China Joint Workshop on Neural Interface and Control on May 26-28 in Wuhan, China.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon to Co-Sponsor Upcoming China Conferences

Plexon Inc, based in Dallas, Texas, is co-sponsoring two significant scientific conferences in China.

The Third International Symposium on Brain Functional Genomics will be held at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China, May 26. This symposium will focus on recent progress in understanding a variety of brain research. Neurobiologist and Plexon customer Joe Z. Tsien, Ph.D., will speak on "Memory Coding Units in the Hippocampal Network." Dr. Tsien is director of the Institute of Brain Functional Genomics at Each China Normal University as well as professor of pharmacology and biomedical engineering at Boston University.

The First International Conference and USA-China Joint Workshop on Neural Interface and Control (CNIC) will be held in Wuhan, China, May 26-28. This conference will bring together the world's leading experts in a wide range of neural research field to present their most recent work.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc, based in Dallas, Texas, develops and markets innovative hardware and software for brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Boston University Researchers Use Plexon System in Recent Memory Formation Discovery

Researchers at Boston University, led by neurobiologist Joe Z. Tsien, Ph.D., have discovered the neural coding units of th brain for forming memory, as well as a mathematical way to universally measure and categorize brain codes across different individuals and animal species.

To find these results, Tsien used a Multichannel Acquisition Processor (MAP) from Plexon Inc. The MAP system is used in neurophysiological research to record the activity of a large number of individual brain cells (neurons) as well as lower frequency EEG signals (field potentials) during different behavioral states. Tsien also used Plexon's Offline Sorter software, which can be used to select and classify signals from individual neurons.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc, based in Dallas, Texas, develops and markets innovative hardware and software for brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Receives Recognition as One of Fastest Growing Technology Companies in the DFW Metroplex

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc was recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the five-year category at the annual Tech Titans award program organized by the Metroplex Technology Business Council.

Tech Titans honors companies and individuals that develop or use technology in a unique and innovative way in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and entire North Texas region. The Tech Titans awards were launched in 2001 by the Metroplex Technology Business Council. The Tech Titans committee is a group of volunteers that each year organizes the annual awards ceremony. Judges are drawn from a variety of disciplines in technology, leaders in the area and past winners. For more information, visit www.tech-titans.com.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc. provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Receives Recognition as One of Fastest Growing Technology Companies in the DFW Metroplex

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc. was recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the five-year category at the annual Tech Titans award program organized by the Metroplex Technology Business Council.

Tech Titans honors companies and individuals that develop or use technology in a unique and innovative way in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and entire North Texas region. The Tech Titans awards were launched in 2001 by the Metroplex Technology Business Council. The Tech Titans committee is a group of volunteers that each year organizes the annual awards ceremony. Judges are drawn from a variety of disciplines in technology, leaders in the area and past winners. For more information, visit www.tech-titans.com.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Receives Recognition as One of Fastest Growing
Technology Companies in the DFW Metroplex

Dallas, Texas - For the second year in a row, Plexon Inc was recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in the five-year category at the annual Tech Titans award program organized by the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC). This year, Plexon was named the 18th fastest growing technology company by the MTBC.

Tech Titans honors companies and individuals that develop or use technology in a unique and innovative way in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and entire North Texas region. The Tech Titans awards were launched in 2001 by the Metroplex Technology Business Council. The Tech Titans committee is a group of volunteers that each year organizes the annual awards ceremony. Judges are drawn from a variety of disciplines in technology, leaders in the area and past winners. For more information, visit http://metroplextbc.org/techtitans/.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc. provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Introduces Modular Electrode Drives for Brain and Nervous System Electrical Activity Recording to Its Product Line

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc today announced the introduction of modular electrode drives for recording electrical activity of the brain and nervous system to its product line. Plexon is marketing the electrode drives in North America, South America and Asia through an agreement with the developer and manufacturer, NAN Instruments, Inc. (Nazareth, Israel).

"The Electrode Drives integrate seamlessly with the rest of Plexon's neurotechnology product line to create an end-to-end neural recording solution," said Harvey Wiggins, founder and president of Plexon. "In this collaborative effort with NAN Instruments, we can now offer our customers electrode drives with the flexibility and channel count they need for neurophysiological research."

Nabeel Abu Nassar, founder of NAN Instruments, states, "We are pleased to collaborate with Plexon to market the NAN Electrodes Drives, provided its growing number of customers in the United States and internationally. We also look forward to future opportunities for additional collaborations."

As one of the first users of the NAN Electrode Drives, Dr. Joshua Gold, assistant professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania who is researching on how the brain interprets sensory information and issues motor commands to guide behavior, states, "The NAN Electrode Drives are lightweight, accurate and easy to configure, set up and use. The drive was designed and manufactured so well that it instantly became the workhorse of my lab."

Through the use of the Electrode Drives, neurophysiology customers can more easily position electrodes or tetrodes (4-site electrodes) within a grid in the XYZ plane. The Electrode Drives come with a brushless motor and computer-controlled electrode advancement system with ensures accurate electrode positioning in the Z direction. A single drive can accommodate up to 25 single-site electrodes, or, with tetrodes, up to 100 electrodes.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.

Plexon Announces East China Normal University Utilizes MAP System for Neural Research into Alzheimer's Disease

Plexon Expands Neurotechnology Product Marketing in China

Dallas, Texas - Plexon Inc today announced East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai has equipped its new Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics with four of Plexon's Multichannel Acquisition Processor (MAP) Systems for neural signal acquisition and analysis research on Alzheimer's disease. ECNU marks Plexon's first product sale in China and the company plans to continue expanding marketing efforts in the country. The use of Plexon's MAP System allows for the acquisition of neural data, which enables ECNU to further research on the function of genes and their dynamic interactions at the molecular, physiological and behavorial levels and to discover the gene mutation for the early onset of Alzheimer's disease.

"We are pleased East China Normal University will utilize Plexon's MAP System for the acquisition and analysis of neural data for their genetic research in Alzheimer's disease," said Harvey Wiggins, Plexon's founder and president. "East China Normal University's use of our neurotechnology products marks an important milestone for Plexon as it initiates our products' entrance into the neuroscience research market in China. Plexon's MAP System is unique compared to other systems on the market for its 'large channel count' and ability to display data for immediate use."

"Plexon's MAP System was chosen for use at the Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomicsfor its advanced functionality and ease of use in analyzing neural signals from many electrodes simultaneously," stated Dr. Joe Tsien, director of the Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics at East China Normal University and assistant professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.

About East China Normal University
East China Normal University (ECNU) established the Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics in 2002, in Shanghai, China. Brain Functional Genomics presents a new multidisciplinary field that aims to study the function of genes and their dynamical interactions through systematic analyses at molecular, physiological and behavioral levels in both genetically modified and unmodified animals. For more information on the Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, please visit www.ecnu.edu.cn/sbg/introductione.htm or for more information on ECNU, please visit www.ecnu.edu.cn/english.

About Plexon
Plexon Inc provides innovative data acquisition hardware and software for recording and analyzing signals from the brain and nervous system. Based in Dallas, Texas, Plexon supplies tools for basic brain and nervous system communication research, neural biosensors for drug and environmental screening, brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics for the growing neurotechnology industry. For more information about the company and its products, call 214-369-4957 or visit www.plexon.com.