Investigating linear superposition of multi-species neurotransmitter voltammetric measurements in-vitro

Abstract

Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) is

frequently used to monitor the concentrations of

neurotransmitters in real-time. However, few studies have

examined the issue of monitoring the concentration of multiple

neurotransmitters at the same time, despite their coexistence at

brain synapses. This stems from the fact that some

neurotransmitters have relatively similar electrochemical

profiles. In this work we use Factor Spaces to analyze the

current signals obtained using FSCV for both individual and

mixed solutions of neurotransmitters. It is shown that the

behavior of the current signals during the interaction between

the neurotransmitter species approaches the principle of

superposition. This potentially results in a significant

simplification in the way combined voltammetric data is

interpreted. The performance of Principal Component Analysis

in extracting suitable Factor Spaces is evaluated.