The SpikerBox: a low cost, open-source bioamplifier for increasing public participation in neuroscience inquiry

Abstract

Although people are generally interested in how the brain functions, neuroscience education for the public is hampered by a lack of low cost and engaging teaching materials. To address this, we developed an open-source tool, the SpikerBox, which is appropriate for use in middle/high school educational programs and by amateurs. This device can be used in easy experiments in which students insert sewing pins into the leg of a cockroach, or other invertebrate, to amplify and listen to the electrical activity of neurons. With the cockroach leg preparation, students can hear and see (using a smartphone oscilloscope app we have developed) the dramatic changes in activity caused by touching the mechanosensitive barbs. Students can also experiment with other manipulations such as temperature, drugs, and microstimulation that affect the neural activity. We include teaching guides and other resources in the supplemental materials. These hands-on lessons with the SpikerBox have proven to be effective in teaching basic neuroscience.

Figure 1. The SpikerBox.

Depiction of the SpikerBox (a) and iPhone running custom open-source iOS software (b) used for electrophysiology experiments in the classroom.

Figure 2. Electophysiological Recordings.

(a) Placement of needle electrodes in the cockroach leg prep. (b) Spontaneous firing of action potentials (c) Same data as b, but zoomed in to reveal individual spikes. (d) Neural activity driven by touching mechanosensitive barbs. Arrows indicate when time of touch occurred. (e–f) Neural activity recorded inside of freezer (e) shows no activity, but recovers (f) after returning to room temperature. Data recorded from iPhone and are in arbitrary A–D units.

Figure 3. Neuropharmacology Experiment.

(a) Placement of recording electrodes in the cricket preparation. (b) Sample traces with control (tap water), saturated monosodium glutamate (MSG) solution, and the nicotine solution injected into a cricket. Injection occurred at t = 0 (beginning of trace). Injections occurred sequentially in the same cricket, beginning with the control, then the MSG, and followed by the nicotine. Injections were approximately 1–2 minutes apart.