A flexible PC-based physiological monitor for animal experiments

Geoffrey M. Ghose, Izumi Ohzawa, Ralph D. Freeman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have developed a flexible physiological monitoring and analysis system for physiological studies in which data are obtained over extended periods. Our system uses low-cost personal computer hardware to concentrate data from existing multiple monitoring devices. All monitored parameters are displayed on a single screen and recorded in a single file. The system automates the process of physiological record keeping by providing continuous displays of vital signs. In addition, audible and visual alarms are produced when vital signs are outside of acceptable ranges, prompting the experimenter to take corrective actions. The central element of the system is a program running in a dedicated manner on an IBM PC-compatible computer. The program is written in the C language and makes use of a graphics library to display traces and analysis results in real time on any standard display for the PC. This program assigns the analog channels of an A D board to particular physiological parameters by initially reading a configuration file, which also describes the alarm conditions and analysis routine for each parameter. All hardware specific code is isolated into well-defined modules. The program is both highly flexible with regard to different sets of parameters and highly portable for different experimental and computer environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7-13
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Neuroscience Methods
Volume62
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1995

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by research and CORE grants from the National Eye Institute (EY-01175 and EY-03 176).

Keywords

  • Monitoring
  • Oscilloscope
  • Personal computer
  • Physiological record
  • Voice alarm

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