Spike Train

A spike train is a time-ordered sequence of neuronal action potentials recorded extracellularly, represented as timestamped events with resolution of approximately 100 µs to 1 ms. Mathematically, spike trains are modeled as point processes.

Why it matters: Spike trains are the primary output of spike sorting and the fundamental data structure for all single-neuron analyses: firing rate, inter-spike intervals, burst detection, cross-correlations, and population coding.

Derived measures: Firing rate (spikes/second), inter-spike interval histograms, peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTHs), autocorrelograms, and cross-correlograms are all computed from spike trains.

Data format: Typically stored as arrays of timestamps (seconds or samples) per unit, with associated cluster/unit identifiers from spike sorting.