Real-Time Processing of Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) Data Using a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)

This paper reports the hardware implementation of a digital signal processing (DSP) unit for real-time processing of data obtained by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFM), an electrochemical transduction technique for high-resolution monitoring of brain neurochemistry. Implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the DSP unit comprises a decimation filter and an embedded processor to process the oversampled FSCV data and obtain in real time a temporal profile of concentration variation along with a chemical signature to identify the target neurotransmitter. Interfaced with an integrated, FSCV-sensing front-end, the DSP unit can successfully process FSCV data obtained by bolus injection of dopamine in a flow cell as well as electrically evoked, transient dopamine release in the dorsal striatum of an anesthetized rat.