Template Formation

Each iteration begins by isolating a clean template waveform — a representative spike shape used in Template Matching to recover all spikes from the same neuron.

How are candidate spikes detected?

SpikeSift scans for local minima on the channel with the strongest cumulative spike amplitude above threshold. This reference channel favors consistent activity over isolated outliers.

How is the detection threshold set?

The threshold is proportional to the median absolute deviation (MAD). The detection sensitivity parameter \(\kappa\) (detection_sensitivity) controls how strict the threshold is.

How are spike waveforms extracted?

Each detected spike is extracted as a 2-ms waveform from the five nearest electrodes. This captures spatial structure while keeping the dimensionality low.

What happens to the extracted waveforms?

They are passed to Binary-Splitting Clustering, which isolates a single, well-defined cluster. The mean waveform of that cluster becomes the template for this iteration.