Intermittent burst generator plugin

Intermittent burst generator plugin

The Intermittent Burst Generator plugin is designed to send stimulation events on a specified event channel for a certain number of pulses. After this burst of stimulation, it will enter a "Sham Duration" phase, where no stimulation pulses are sent. This cycle of stimulation and sham duration can be customized based on the user’s requirements. This plugin can serve the purpose of alternating between stimulation trains and inter-train intervals, as in intermittent burst stimulation.

However, please note:

The plugin does not generate continuous stimulation signals. Instead, it produces stimulation signals based on specific events, such as the crossing of a certain phase, from the event occured in crossing detector. The stimulation occurs when the specified event or condition is met, not continuously.

Additionally, the event aligns perfectly with the original events, ensuring no delays occur.

Parameters:

• STIM IN & OUT
  The STIM IN textbox corresponds to the event channel where the stimulation event is being received.
  The OUT textbox corresponds to the event channel where the stimulation event needs to be sent.

• SHAM IN & OUT
  The SHAM IN textbox corresponds to the event channel where the sham event is being received.
  The OUT textbox corresponds to the event channel where the sham event needs to be sent.

• Pulse Width (ms):
  Specifies the duration (in milliseconds) of each pulse triggered by the Intermittent Burst Generator. This pulse is sent through the channels specified in the text above.

• Sham Duration (s):
  Defines how long (in seconds) the sham pulses or events are sent. This value controls the duration of the sham period.

• Stim Pulse:
  Specifies the number of stimulation pulses that must occur before the next sham period is activated. It determines how many stimulation pulses happen before a new sham event is triggered.

Building the plugins

Building the plugins requires CMake. Detailed instructions on how to build open ephys plugins with CMake can be found in our wiki.

Installation

If you are building this plugin outside the oep-installation installation, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the intermittent-burst-generator folder
   This folder should be located next to the Source and Build folders. if the Build folder doesn't exist create one adjacent to Source folder.

2. Open Git Bash
   Launch Git Bash or your preferred terminal.

3. Create a .gitignore file
   Run the following command to create a .gitignore file:

   touch .gitignore

4. Navigate to the Build directory

   cd Build

   Run the following command to create a .gitignore file:

   touch .gitignore

5. Generate the project for your version Run the following command to generate the Visual Studio project:

  cmake -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 ..

7. Build the project in Release mode Run the following command to compile and build the Release version of the plugin:

  cmake --build . --config Release

8. Install the plugin (copy DLLs to the correct folder) To install the plugin and copy the generated DLLs to the appropriate folder, run:

  cmake --install . --config Release

Developer's Note:

Developed by: Sumedh Sopan Nagrale ([email protected])

Currently Maintained by: Sumedh Sopan Nagrale ([email protected])