User manual

Put the computer to sleep [30 minutes] change to -> [Never]

Note that the automatic turning off of the display does NOT cause problems.

For the Axon Digidata 132x board, WinLTP requires the Windows 2000, XP, 7 or 8 (32-bit only)

operating system.

Note that Windows XP security support from Microsoft has stopped on April 8. 2014, and Microsoft no

longer supplies Windows XP security code updates. Therefore, all Windows XP computers should be

disconnected from the Internet at this time. However, the Microsoft Security Essentials

antivirus/antimalware program will continue to be updated until July, 2015. Rather than upgrade your

Windows XP computer, the simplist thing to do is to just disconnect your Windows XP computer from

the Internet, and transfer your WinLTP data using a USB memory stick.

1.3 Overview of WinLTP – Basic LTP/LTD Experiment

The protocols of WinLTP for running the basic LTP experiment consists of either repetitive slow single

extracellular pathway stimulation by one electrode (S0), or slow alternating dual extracellular pathway

stimulation by two electrodes (S0 then S1). Single train, theta burst, or primed burst stimulation induces

LTP. Low frequency stimulation (e.g., 900 pulses at 1-2 Hz) induces LTD induction.

Fig. 1.3.1 shows the layout of the WinLTP program showing Protocol and Detection fields (upper left

panel), Sweep Stimulation fields and graphs (lower left and right panels), Analysis graphs (one slope

graph) (top right panel), Sweep Acquisition (middle right panel), and the Spreadsheet and Run Buttons

(bottom panels).

Fig. 1.3.1 illustrates the basic LTP experiment of slow alternating dual pathway stimulation, in this case

using signal averaging. The right middle graph shows an extracellular synaptic response from the CA1

region of the hippocampus, averaged from four sweeps, and produced by single extracellular S0 stimulus

pulses, 10 ms from the start of the sweep. Superimposed on the synaptic waveform are red lines to show

where calculations were made for the S0 slope. The slope 'calculation lines' are color-coded and are

shown in red for an S0-evoked fEPSP and magenta for an S1-evoked fEPSP. The right top graph in Fig.

1.3.1 shows calculations for slope produced by S0 stimulation (red triangles) and S1 stimulation (magenta

squares).

In WinLTP, alternating dual pathway stimulation (S0 then S1) of the experiment in Fig. 1.3.1 is achieved

by producing dual alternating sweeps (Pulse Sweep P0 then Pulse Sweep P1) in which Pulse Sweep P0

has one pathway stimulation by one extracellular electrode, S0, and Pulse Sweep P1 has one pathway

stimulation by extracellular electrode S1. The S0 and S1 stimulation outputs trigger stimulus isolation

units that are connected to extracellular stimulation electrodes S0 and S1.

WinLTP is actually capable of generating four different sweep stimulations with different stimulation

capabilities on each. Two sweep stimulations are Pulse Sweeps P0 and P1, and these are usually used

for single pulse stimulation, can be repeated at set time intervals, and the sweep data can be signal

averaged. The other two sweep stimulations are Train Sweeps T0 and T1, and these are evoked as

single, nonrepetitive sweeps that are usually used for train stimulation.