SutterPatch

SutterPatch® software is a full-featured electrophysiology data acquisition, management and analysis application for Windows or Mac OS computers, backed by our legendary free technical support. SutterPatch comes bundled with all Sutter Instrument Patch Clamp Amplifier Systems. The software controls data acquisition, provides real-time measurements to aid decision making during the experiment, keeps track of all amplifier parameters, records the experimental progress and stores a set of up to 600 metadata parameters. Built within the latest version of Igor Pro by WaveMetrics, Inc., SutterPatch provides immediate access to Igor’s powerful scientific and engineering analysis tools. SutterPatch is actively being expanded and developed daily, with the goal of becoming the standard for electrophysiology around the globe.

Version 2 of SutterPatch software adds support for the new dPatch® Digital Patch Amplifier System as well as a multitude of new features and user interface improvements that also apply to the IPA Family of Amplifier Systems. The Membrane Test and Free Run have been upgraded. New triple slider and 2D-matrix controls facilitate compensation adjustments in the Amplifier Control Panel.

Particular emphasis was put into intuitive navigation through large data sets. Controls that are familiar from electrophysiology software or applications in other fields, as well as entirely new approaches make finding a particular section of an experiment very easy.

The structured architecture of the data files was designed to retain the context of every sample within an experiment. With little effort at the beginning of an experiment, a plethora of metadata parameters are recorded – automatically where possible, configured by the user where desired. Each parameter can be reviewed before a Paradigm or Routine is executed.

SutterPatch software comes with a collection of sample Paradigms and Routines that facilitate the configuring of commonly executed experimental scenarios.

SutterPatch provides real-time analysis capability that automatically creates graphs like I-V curves or a time course plot while the experiment is in progress. Up to 8 analysis graphs can be shown, each derived from 16 possible measurements from the input signals. Analyses include mean, slope, rise time, frequency of threshold crossing, etc. This facilitates making decisions about the further course of an experiment.

In addition to real-time analysis, SutterPatch supports further processing after the experiment for the most sophisticated analysis procedures. SutterPatch adds application-specific capabilities on top of the expansive analysis feature set that is native to Igor Pro. Equations and Variables facilitate the use of more complex algorithms in both Routines and Paradigms.

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S U T T E R P A T C H   F E A T U R E S

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NEW! Sutter Instrument Introduces:
Dynamic Clamp - A New Feature in SutterPatch® Software and the dPatch® Digital Patch Clamp Amplifier

The dynamic clamp technique was first introduced in 1993 as a method for simulating ionic conductances in neurons during patch clamp recordings. This method typically involves recording the cell’s membrane potential, transmitting the data to a computer, calculating the appropriate current to be injected into the neuron, and sending this value back to the amplifier. Communication between the computer and amplifier limits the rate at which the dynamic clamp calculations can be updated. Moreover, the additional hardware and software needed to do dynamic clamp has limited its application. An all-in-one solution is now available as a free upgrade to SutterPatch software and the dPatch amplifier for researchers interested in performing dynamic clamp experiments.

The patented digital architecture of the dPatch amplifier system provides an ideal platform for dynamic clamp. The dPatch is powered by a system-on-chip which provides parallel processing across a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and two high-speed ARM core processors. Several sophisticated dynamic clamp models are implemented within this architecture. In each model, the update of the applied current values occurs without communication between the dPatch and a computer. Depending upon the complexity of the model, update rates of up to 500 kHz can be achieved.

Simulation of a population of channels within the neuronal membrane involves modeling the kinetics of the channel’s gating mechanisms. These channel kinetics can either be modeled using multiple independent gates as in the Hodgkin-Huxley model, or a multi-state Markov model. For Hodgkin-Huxley style models, the dPatch provides for up to 16 individual gates per simulated channel, with up to eight simulated channels running simultaneously per headstage. For Markov models, up to four 14-state models can be run simultaneously or eight models with fewer states can be run. For example, eight 10-state models can run simultaneously.

The values derived from the gating equations are then used to calculate the current applied to the neuron. The calculation of current can either be defined in terms of conductance or permeability. For conductance models, the value defined from the gating calculations is combined with the reversal potential of the ions passing through the simulated channels, as well as the conductance of the simulated channels. Furthermore, channel conductance values can be voltage dependent. For permeability models, the value defined from the gating calculations is combined with the intracellular and extracellular concentrations of the ions passing through the simulated channels. These models simulate the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equations.

SutterPatch software is an intuitive, full featured data acquisition, management and analysis application designed to operate on Windows or Mac OS computers. SutterPatch comes bundled with the dPatch amplifier. The dynamic clamp user interface provides a powerful mechanism for loading dynamic clamp models. No expertise with scripting is required. Gate equations or Markov model transitions are simply entered as text and are interpreted by SutterPatch. Individual dynamic clamp models are saved in a pool and can be easily transferred between users. In addition, a number of sample models are provided to get users started, ranging from a simple leak conductance to a 12-state sodium channel.

Summary

• This free upgrade to SutterPatch software and the dPatch amplifier provides the first all-in-one solu tion for the researcher interested in performing dynamic clamp experiments.
• Fast dynamic clamp update rates result from the patented digital architecture of the dPatch amplifier.
• Supported models include:
• Hodgkin-Huxley style conductance models
• Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz style permeability models
• Markov models
• SutterPatch software control of dynamic clamp requires no scripting.

 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

FOR IPA FAMILY SYSTEMSMinimum Configuration:

• Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit) or later, or MacOS: 10.11, El Capitan or later¹
• Processor: Dual-core i5²
• Memory: 3 GB
• Hard Disk: 500 GB or greater
• Display Resolution: 1024 x 768 (XGA)
• 1 available USB 2.0 High Speed port³

Recommended Configuration:

• Windows 10 (64-bit) or later, or MacOS: 10.11, El Capitan or later¹
• Processor: Dual-core i5²
• Memory: 8 GB
• Solid-state drive (SSD): 500 GB or greater
• Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (FULL HD)
• 1 available USB 2.0 High Speed port³

FOR dPATCH SYSTEMSMinimum Configuration:

• Windows 10 (64-bit), or MacOS: 10.11, El Capitan or later¹
• Processor: Dual-core i5²
• Memory: 6 GB
• Solid-state drive (SSD): 500 GB or greater
• Display Resolution: 1024 x 768 (XGA)
• 1 available USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port (on the main board, not a PCIx card or similar)³

Recommended Configuration:

• Windows 10 (64-bit), or MacOS: 10.11, El Capitan or later¹
• Processor: Dual-core i5²
• Memory: 16 GB
• Solid-state drive (SSD): 500 GB or greater
• Display resolution 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
• 1 available USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port (on the main board, not a PCIx card or similar)³

SUTTERPATCH® Data Acquisition Management System and Analysis Software: Included with all Sutter Instrument Amplifier Systems

¹ Operating systems installed within virtualization software platforms such as VMware and Parallels are not supported.

² At this point, WaveMetrics does not fully support Igor Pro on Mac computers based on the Apple Silicon M1 architecture. See https://www.wavemetrics.com/news/igor-and-apple-arm-processors for technical details. Preliminary experiments indicate that SutterPatch Software runs on these computers, both under Igor Pro 8 and 9, and with each of the Sutter Amplifier Systems connected. However, as with each new technology, we cannot fully exclude incompatibilities.

³ USB 3.0 ports are compatible with USB 2.0 High Speed specifications.
Slower USB 2.0 ‘full-speed’ ports, which are sometimes found on older Windows PCs or USB add-in cards, are not supported.

To check for High Speed USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 on a PC computer running Windows, look in the Control Panel > Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus controllers section for “Enhanced” host controllers. As this does not provide any mapping information to the computer’s physical ports, and there can be a mix of USB port versions, you should check individual USB ports for USB 2.0/3.0 High Speed operational performance. As a visual indicator, USB 3.0 ports are often color coded blue.

USB hubs are not supported. USB add-in cards, even if they formally meet High Speed or Super Speed specifications, are not recommended. They are often architecturally configured as USB hubs and may lead to intermittent transfer errors that are hard to troubleshoot.