In defence of single-electrode recordings

Abstract

As a physicist observing the empirical struggle of neurophysiology to penetrate the computational secrets of neo-cortex, one is struck by the coexistence of two extreme positions. One has it that the computations performed in neo-cortex are too complex to be approachable by single-electrode recordings. The other is continuously discovering single neurons which can perform such complex tasks as to recognize the individual faces of the senior staff in the laboratory.

Drawing on experience gained in the study of condensed matter, I would like to reopen the discussion, pointing out that some of the single-electrode recordings which are exposing such remarkable computational features could not possibly be of great relevance for the description of 'higher brain function'. On the other hand, some single-electrode experiments, which detect rather mundane features of performance, display remarkable dynamical features, which must surely underlie cortical function.

All this leads us to the conclusion that, though simultaneous electrode recordings may be required for the exposure of some complex neuro-cognitive effects, the field of single-electrode investigation is only beginning to benefit from the treasures it has always been exposing, and which are still going undervalued.