What's New in WinLTP

Version 3.01

Leading-Edge Features

Special Features

Special Analysis Features

Ordinary Features

Additional Features

Uses National Instruments M-, X-Series
boards or Digidata 132x boards

What's new in WinLTP - All Versions

WinLTP 3.01 (December 22, 2023)

Version 3.01 is a bug fix of 3.00.

Protocol Linking bug.

WinLTP 3.01 fixes a Protocol Linking bug that makes linking workproperly again.

You will NOT have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 3.00.

WinLTP 3.00 (Jan 22, 2022)

Version 3.00 is a major upgrade of 2.32.

Major Improvements

Increased number of AD channels from 2 to 6.

				a.	Write and read a new WinLTP ASCII file format 3.00A for 6 AD channel ADsweeps.
				b.	For Continuous Acquisition gap-free ABF files, increase the number of AD channels saved from 2 to 6.
				c.	For Viewing and Imposing ADsweeps increase the number of AD channels from 2 to 6.

Increased extracellular stimulation outputs from 2 to 8 (S0->S7).

Increase the complexity of extracellular Sx stimulation including: adding Sequential Stimulation for

				a.	Adding sequential epoch stimulation for example for Primed Burst Stimulation.
				b.	Add Begin/End loops for example for Reptitive Primed Burst Stimulation..
				c.	Add Loops within Loops for even more complex stimulation.

Enhancements to user interface to deal with 6 ADchs and 8 Sx's

				a.	Added the option of putting MainPg and AnalysisPg analysis graphs in a Separate Form which could be on a second monitor.
				b.	Added the option of putting the Continuous Acquisition grpahs to the left of the ADsweep graphs rather than above the ADsweep graphs.
				c.	Added an AnalysesToDo dialog for 6 ADchs and 8 extracellular stimulation outputs.
				d.	You can now adjust the vertical size of the ADsweep graph panels by clicking on the space in between the graphs and dragging it down.

To speed up SealTest, to keep a 25us SampleInterval but shoved sweep duration down to 50ms and decreased pulse duration to 40ms as standard. Can also go to 20ms sweep duration and 16ms pulse duration.

Reanalysis Only Improvements

Using bin2txtswps, convert up to 6 channel ABF, IBW and WCP binary files to up to 6 channel ATF files. Then use WinLTP to reanalyze these up to 6 channel ATF files.

Use WinLTP to reanalyze up to 6 AD channel Generic ATF files.

Use WinLTP to reanalyze up to 6 AD channel General ASCII Text files.

You WILL have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.32 or earlier.

WinLTP 2.32 (April 17, 2020)

Version 2.32 is an important bug fix of 2.31.

Bugs Fixed

Fixed fatal installation bug.

WinLTP 2.32 is a primarily a fix for a fatal installation bug in WinLTP 2.31 that only occurred on computers that had never had WinLTP installed before. After installation, when starting the WinLTP 2.31 Online/Acquisition program, this error message occurred:

"List index out of bounds (2)" .

					and the program had to be stopped.
				b.	This bug was introduced in WinLTP 2.31 - it was not present in WinLTP 2.30 and earlier, and was fixed in WinLTP 2.32. This bug was missed because all of our beta testers had previous versions of WinLTP installed.

Fixed minor bug in WinLTP 2.31 Reanalysis program.

				a.	After loading sweep files for the first time and pressing 'pause' (space bar), and then clicking the 'step back' (F2) button to go all the way back to the first sweep file, the program automatically started the 'continuous' analysis again (i.e. it didn't stick on that first sweep file).
				b.	This bug was introduced in WinLTP 2.31 - it was not present in WinLTP 2.30 and earlier, and was fixed in WinLTP 2.32.

You WILL have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.30 or earlier, but not 2.31.

WinLTP 2.31 (March 17, 2020)

Version 2.31 is another modest upgrade from 2.30. primarily including bug fixes and internal, 'under the hood' changes to reduce internal Windows resource usage to allow future expansion to 6 AD channels and 8 extracellular stimulation outputs. That said, it does include some useful functional enhancements.

		1.	Create a new AnalysesToDo dialog box. Separately analyze S0 and S1 detections.
		2.	Save Analysis Graphs to PNG files
			Whenever the Excel or ASCII AmpFile is saved, pictures (,pgn files) of the MainPg analysis graphs, and the Left and Right AnalysisPg analysis graphs were saved as .png files (Figs. 7 and 8).
		3.	A separate Filename Extension Column has been added to the saved Spreadsheet,
			Add separate 'Filename only ' and 'Filename Ext' columns to Excel XLS spreadsheet and ASCII Amp files. This will enable easier sorting of the Excel XLS or ASCII Amp files by enabling easy sorting by the "P0", "AP1" etc filename extensions.

		4.	‘Dynamic allocation of stimulation and detection fields to conserve Windows resources.

		5.	Note that only WinLTP versions 2.30 and earlier supports the Molecular Devices' Digidata 1320A and 1322A boards. WinLTP 2.20b supports Digidata 132x for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8, and WinLTP 2.30 supports Windows 10, and both can be downloaded at this website.

	You WILL have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.30 or earlier

	Note that Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7 as of 20 January, 2020.

Bugs fixed

Fixed bug in the Plot/Save -> Save Sweeps to Disk tabsheet

			a.	In WinLTP 2.30, the Stimulus Artifact Blanked sweeps and the Low-Pass Filtered sweeps could not be saved.
			b.	Furthermore, the Pulse and Train Raw Sweeps were always saved as were the Pulse Averaged Sweeps. Bug Plot/Save -> Save Sweeps to Disk -> [ ] Pulse Raw Sweeps ALWAYS saved [ ] Pulse Averaged Sweeps ALWAYS Saved [ ] Pulse Stimulus Blanked Sweeps NEVER Saved [ ] Pulse Low-Pass Filtered Sweeps NEVER Saved and [ ] Train Raw Sweeps ALWAYS saved [ ] Train Stimulus Blanked Sweeps NEVER Saved [ ] Train Low-Pass Filtered Sweeps NEVER Saved

In WinLTP 2.30, sometimes after program startup, the P0/S0 tabsheet didn't display properly. In this situation, you had to turn S0 Off and then back On again to get the tabsheet properly displaying.

WinLTP 2.30 (May 12, 2018)

Version 2.30 is a minor upgrade from 2.20

		1.	Although WinLTP 2.30 is a minor functional upgrade, it is a major Embarcadero (Borland) C++ compiler upgrade. Most of the changes are not apparent and are "under the hood".
		2.	Because of this upgrade, WinLTP 2.30 is now fully compliant with Windows 10 (as well as Windows 7, 8 and Vista). The file system now works perfectly in Windows 10.
		3.	However, because of this upgrade, WinLTP 2.30 also no longer supports Windows XP.

Although it is very reasonable for a data acquisition program like WinLTP to run in Windows XP when not connected to the Internet, Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and Windows XP computers cannot be connected to the Internet. Therefore since most computers need to be connected to the Internet, it makes sense for the Embarcadero C++ compiler to no longer support Windows XP.

		4.	Because WinLTP 2.30 does not support Windows XP, we will continue to make WinLTP 2.20b downloadable.
		5.	Population Spike Area has been added to Population Spike Amplitude and Latency. Both WinLTP Acquisition and Reanalysis can analyze Population Spikes.

				Because adding the PopSpike Area changes the protocol file (*.pro) we have two version of the M/X-series executables.
			a.	For one, "WinLTP 2.30 M/X-series", you WILL have to rewrite protocol files from 2.10 or 2.20, but you can do ONLINE PopSpike Area analysis.
			b.	For the other, "WinLTP 2.30 M/X-series NoPSarea" you will NOT have to rewrite your protocol files, but you will not have online PopSpike Area analysis.
			c.	The WinLTP 2.30 Reanalysis program has Population Spike Area reanalysis.

The WinLTP Reanalysis program, coupled with Alen Eapen's bin2txtswps.exe program, can now reanalyze Axon Binary ABF Files, IgorPro binary IBW files, and WinWCP binary WCP files. bin2txtswps (included in this WinLTP distribution) converts multi-sweep binary ABF, IBW and/or WCP files to single sweep ASCII ATF (Axon Text Files) that WinLTP can then reanalyse for special analyses like Population Spike Area, Amplitude and Latency, Coastline, three types of Slope measurement, stimulus artefact blanking, analysis of all EPSPs in a sweep, and special analysis of trains.

bin2txtswps.exe can also be independently run from the command line. It is free and open source - its code is available at: https://github.com/aleneapen/bin2txtswps.

In WinLTP you can now automatically reanalyze these different ASCII single sweep files by just clicking on them in the 'Select Files to Reanalyze' dialog.

			a.	Normal WinLTP generated ASCII sweep files
			b.	bin2txtswps generated ATF files
			c.	Generic ATF files
			d.	General ASCII files
			e.	Early LTP Program generated ASCII files

		9.	Reanalysis improved ease of use. There have been many minor changes that significantly improve Reanalysis ease of use. One of these changes is that on 'Select Files to Reanalyze' dialog box and others, the 'Object name' or 'File name' entry, like ".T1", ".atf" or ".txt", etc. now 'stick'* when the dialog box is recalled so you dont have to type in this entry each time the dialog box is called.
		10.	You are now able to move the splitter between AD0 and AD1 sweep graphs up and down to change the relative heights of each graph.

11.

Continuous Acquisition Sweep Duration Increment/Decrement is changed from:

				1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, 200s, 500s, 1000s, 2000... sec
				to the more useful
				1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 60s, 120s(2m), 240s(4m), 300s(5m), 600s(10m), 1200s(20m), 1800s(30m)...

If you are using "WinLTP 2.30 M/X-series", you WILL have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.10 or 2.20.

If you are using "WinLTP 2.30 M/X-series NoPSarea", you will NOT have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.10 or 2.20.

Bugs fixed

The file system now works perfectly in Windows 10. (Previously in Windows 10, changing current data folder would only show the the folder in the Desktop at the top.)

In the the 'Select Files to Reanalyze' dialog, the file templates like *.atf or *.T1 now STICK, and reappear when the dialog is called again.

Bug not fixed

Sometimes after program startup, the P0/S0 tabsheet doesn't display properly. In this situation, all you have to do is turn S0 Off and then back On again to get the tabsheet properly displaying.

WinLTP 2.20b (December 22, 2015)

	Version 2.20b is a bug fix

In the WinLTP Online program, when a group of sweeps were averaged using the 'Average/Impose Sweep files on graph' button, an averaged sweep was imposed on the Sweep graph, and that averaged sweep was also saved to a file with a long filename like "5D10_0110_0092.AP0". However, the WinLTP 2.20 Reanalysis program could not reanalyze this averaged sweep file with the long filename. This bug has been fixed in WinLTP 2.20b.

WinLTP 2.20 (December 10, 2015)

The reanalysis improvements in version 2.20 are in addition to the reanalysis improvments in 2.10 which included:

		1.	Sweeps can be quickly viewed by clicking on an Analysis Graph data point,
		2.	Neighboring sweeps can be quickly viewed by clicking Previous or Next sweep button,
		3.	Single and averaged sweeps can be imposed which enables quick averaging of baseline sweeps, and a
		4.	'Reanalyze Again' button so that you do not have to reselect the files you wish to reanalyze again.

Version 2.20 is a major upgrade of the Reanalysis program from 2.10

		1.	'Stepback' button reverses the reanalysis by one sweep file at a time.
		2.	Quarantine noisy, unusable single sweep files when not signal averaging - just skip over the sweep during reanalysis.
		3.	Quarantine a sweep file when signal averaging - skip over the quarantined sweep file when averaging, but also decrement the number of files to average.
		4.	Quarantine a Viewed Sweep file when not signal averaging.
		5.	Save and reload a list of quarantined sweep files.
		6.	Move Selected Quarantined sweep files from the \DataFolder to the \Removed folder.
		7.	The free Reanalysis program now includes converting WinLTP sweep files to Axon Binary Files.
		8.	In the Select Files to Reanalyze dialog box, when you now click the 'Up One Level' button, the dialog box will show the folders and files of the folder above the one currently at. And when you click a Sub Folder name, the dialog box will show the folder and files of the Sub Folder that was clicked.

Improvements to the Online/Acquisition program include:

We have made the Online/Acquisition program easier to use by changing the default StartUp to start up in:

			a.	Alternating S0/S1stimulation with signal averaging, not just repeating S0 stimulation without signal averaging
			b.	Change the T1sweep S1 stimulation from a single train to theta burst stimulation
			c.	Therefore:

				1.	A single mouse button click of the 'MainProtocol' button starts alternating S0/S1 stimulation with signal averaging,
				2.	A single mouse click of the 'T0 Sweep' button evokes a single S0 train,
				3.	A single mouse click of the 'T1' button evokes S1 theta burst stimulation,
				4.	A single mouse click of the 'Repeat P0' button evokes LowFrequencyStimulation to induce long-term depression.
				5.	And a single mouse button click of the 'Stop' button below the 'MainProtocol' button stops the experiment.

These stimulations comprise most of what an LTP/LTD experiment needs.

And the alternating S0/S1 stimulation with signal averaging can be changed to just repeat S0 stimulation with signal averaging by either removing the P1sweep or unchecking the P1sweep checkbox.

			e.	Or the alternating S0/S1 stimulation with signal averaging can be changed to alternating S0/S1 stimulation without signal averaging by a single mouse button click on the 'No Avg' protocol button.
			f.	See also Quick Install and Start.

National Instruments board calibration improvement. If during start up calibration there is a "DAQmx ERROR: Device could not complete the calibration operation, Status Code: -201295. ...", it is likely due to the output cable being connected to a PCI or PCIexpress data acquisition board. A Warning DialogBox is output telling the researcher to disconnect the output cable at the data acquisition board.

Minor Improvements

When reanalyzing averaged sweeps, the start of the reanalysis time is now the time of the first sweep (like with Online Acquisition), not the time of the last sweep in an average as was the case with versions before 2.20.

More folder and filename characters are now accepted

			a.	Folder and file names now correctly accepts and prints the following characters: alphanumeric, SPACE and
				% , ; @ [ ] ^ = ! # $ ( ) + _ . - { } ~ '
			b.	Folder names correctly rejects the following characters
				" * : ' \| \ < > ? /
				and correctly rejects country specific characters like
				£
			c.	File names correctly rejects the following characters
				" * : ' \| < > /

Bug fixes

In versions prior to 2.20, when the values in the analysis spreadsheet were saved to a Microsoft Excel *.XLS file, this produced a inconsequential error message when those filese were read by Excel. Now when Excel reads those *.XLS files, no error message occurs.

Error with Converting WinLTP SweepFiles to ABF files fixed.

			a.	The Sweep is now plotted
			b.	The WinLTP files loaded and abf files saved are now printed out

In Reanalysis of non-averaged sweeps with blanking and/or filtering, all raw sweeps were incorrectly plotted in blue ather than gray. And in Reanalysis of averaged sweeps and/or blanking and/or filtering sweeps, all raw sweeps were incorrectly plotted in blue rather than gray.

When reanalyzing channel AD1 only, if AutoZeroing (AZ) the Sweep plotting, the CalcLines are plotted as AutoZeroed, but the raw sweep was incorrectly plotted as DC.

You will NOT have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.10

Changes to the Basic, Standard, and Advanced Versions

		1.	Due to a drastic decrease in external funding, the free Basic Version is no longer distributed by WinLTP Ltd. It seems reasonable that the researchers that actually use WinLTP also help support its development.
		2.	The Standard Version of WinLTP will continue have everything in the Advanced Version except automated perfusion. This includes full Continuous Acquisition, full Protocol Scripting (except for automated perfuison), Viewing and Imposing single and averaged sweeps during acquisition, the Experimental Log, and converting WinLTP sweep files to AxonBinaryFiles.
		3.	The Advanced Version of WinLTP has everything in the Standard Version plus the automated perfusion.
		4.	The WinLTP Reanalysis program will continue to be free. The Reanalysis program now includes converting WinLTP sweep files to AxonBinaryFiles.

WinLTP 2.10 (September, 2014)

Version 2.10 is a major upgrade from 2.01

		1.	Sweeps can be quickly viewed by clicking on an Analysis Graph data point.
		2.	Neighboring sweeps can be quickly viewed by clicking a button to move to Previous or Next sweep.
		3.	Impose single or averaged sweeps during acquisition and reanalysis

			a.	Up to 8 sweeps can be imposed for each Pulse/Train sweep
			b.	Any number of sweeps can be averaged and then imposed as a single sweep. For example, this would allow averaging all the sweeps occurring during the baseline, and then comparing this averaged baseline sweep to other sweeps taken later in the experiment.
			c.	If sweeps are being low-pass filtered, then the imposed sweeps will also be low-pass filtered to the same value. Changing the low-pass filter value also changes the filtering value of all the imposed sweeps.

Internal Gain of M- and X-series boards has been added.

			a.	Internal gains can be x1, x2, x10 and x50 for the inexpensive boards like the PCIe-6321, and x1, x2, x5, x10, x20, x50 and x100 for the more expensive boards like the PCIe-6351
			b.	For voltage amplifiers with only x10 external gain (like the Axon AxoClamp-2B), this allows the data acquisition board to supply the necessary additional gain rather than having to put in a second external amplfier.

In the Reanalysis program, we have added a 'Reanalyze Again' button so that you do not have to reselect the files you wish to reanalyze again.

Minor Improvements

You can now reanalyze and impose Sweep files when the name of the file is different from the filename in the header.

The Digidata 132x can now be used with the 32-bit version of Windows Vista, 7 or 8.

Bug fixes

		1.	We have done extensive debugging of Changing Detection Parameter Fields. In versions 1.10 to 2.01, changing a detection field could, on rare occasions, cause the program to hang-up.
		2.	Pre-flush automated perfusion (2 valves/line) now works correctly for flush times greater than 2 seconds.
		3.	When more than 10,000 sweeps were run in the Seal Test protocol, the series resistance (Rs) and cell resistance (Rm) values were not plotted after returning to the normal acquisition mode.

	You will have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.01.

	Note that Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP as of 8 April, 2014.

Changes to Basic Version, New Standard Version, WinLTP Now Sold in Units of 1 with Dongle Protection

'Austerity Britain' has now hit WinLTP, and the external support for WinLTP developement has dropped drastically. In order to continue WinLTP development (which we wish to do), we need a greater contribution from WinLTP sales. In order to facilitate this we have made several changes.

		1.	There is still a free Basic Version that is for those researchers who have very limited funding. The Basic Version in 2.10 now includes imposing single and averaged sweeps, internal gain and the 'Reanalyze Again' button. However, the number of AD channels has been reduced to 1, and the number of Train sweep stimulations has been reduced to 1, so it is clear that this is a limited version. That said, this Basic Version can still run basic LTP/LTD experiments, and is still one of the easiest data acquisition systems to use for this, but it does not have much additional flexibility.
		2.	We may begin to have a well-known supplier of electrophysiology automated perfusion systems start selling the Advanced Version of WinLTP (which contains automated perfusion).
		3.	Therefore, we are introducing a new Standard Version of WinLTP which will have everything in the Advanced Version except the automated perfusion. This will include 2 AD channels, 4 Pulse/Train sweep stimulations, full Continuous Acquisition, full Protocol Scripting (except for automated perfuison), Viewing and Imposing single and averaged sweeps during acquisition, the Experimental Log, and converting WinLTP sweep files to AxonBinaryFiles.
		4.	The Standard and Advanced Version will also now be sold in units of one (rather than units of five) to facilitate selling to users who only want one copy which will be substantially cheaper. The cost of the Standard Version first copy is £425 or $750, and subsequent copies are £325 or $575. Cost of the Advanced Version first copy is £725 or $1275, and subsequent copies are £625 or $1100.
		5.	However, in order to sell in units of one, copy protection will now have to be done by a USB hardware dongle that plugs into your computer.

These changes will hopefully emphasize that the free Basic Version of WinLTP is a very limited version for those researchers who have very limited funding. The Standard Version should be the version most appropriate for most users. The Advanced Version is now for those researchers wanting to perform automated perfusion experiments and totally automated experiments.

WinLTP 2.01 (April, 2012)

The NI-DAQmx bug in the National Instruments X-Series board driver has now been fixed in the NI-DAQmx 9.5 driver

We have published a paper on Automated Perfusion Control in WinLTP in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods, which should serve as a good, fairly concise synopsis of the topic:

Anderson WW, Fitzjohn SM and Collingridge GL (2012) Automated Multi-Slice Extracellular and Patch-Clamp Experiments using the WinLTP Data Acquisition System with Automated Perfusion Control. J. Neurosci. Methods, 207:148-160.

Version 2.01 is a minor upgrade to 2.00

For running in the the Basic Mode, the LTP Protocol has been removed and replaced with a partially functioning ProtocolBuilder.

			a.	Loop, AvgLoop, P0sweep and P1sweep events work as normal as in the Advanced Mode.
			b.	Run, ElseRun, T0sweep, T1sweep, Delay, Slow0, Slow1, Fast0 and Fast1events can be inserted and work as normal except that Sweep files cannot be saved.

			The Protocol Builder running in the Advanced Mode is still fully functional.
		2.	An Initialize Average Loop Protocol button has been added to the Protocol Builder to automatically install an Average Loop protocol.
		3.	The Digidata 1320A/1322A board is now supported in version 2.01, but there is still no automated perfusion support for Digidata board

Minor bug fixes

		1.	If WinLTP is started with a NI USB board off or not connected, this situation is now dealt with without a NI-DAQmx error issued.
		2.	When a perfusion protocol is written for a 4 ch AnalogOut M,X-series board using AO2 and is transfered to a 2 channel AnalogOut board (that has no AO2), this situation is now dealt with and does not issue a series of NI-DAQmx error messages.
		3.	For both Online and Reanalysis programs, a '+' is now an acceptable char in a FolderName

You will have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 2.00.

WinLTP 2.00 (December, 2011)

	Note:	This 2.00 version upgrade is for the National Instruments M- and X-Series boards
		The legacy Digidata 132x boards continue to use version 1.11


	The NI-DAQmx bug in the National Instruments X-Series board driver has now been fixed in the NI-DAQmx 9.5 driver

Version 2.00 is a major upgrade towards fully automated mult-slice and patch-clamp experiments

Automated Perfusion Control

			a.	Fully integrated into WinLTP - control is by perfusion channel rather than setting analog or digital output
			b.	Can control up to 4 perfusion controllers, or 3 perfusion controllers plus a stepper
			c.	Can control 2 perfusion controllers jointly to make up to 16 channels by using two analog outputs, 16 digital outputs or 4-bit binary output
			d	Slice perfusion can include pre-flushing the new perfusion line to remove most of the stale, unoxygenated solution sitting in the line
			e.	Manual control can override automated perfusion control when desired

		2.	Multi-slice experiments using automated change of perfusion solutions between sweeps
		3.	Cell single-line perfusion patch-clamp experiments using automated change of solutions during and between sweeps
		4..	Protocol linking to run one protocol after another - useful for extending single-line perfusion

Cell dual- and triple-line perfusion with stepper patch-clamp experiments using automated change of solutions during and between sweeps

You will have to rewrite your protocol files when upgrading from WinLTP 1.11b.

WinLTP 1.11b (March, 2011)

	Version 1.11b is primarily a bug fix

		1.	For the WinLTP Online M,X-Series program, you can now recalibrate the National Instruments board at any time, not just during the initial program startup.
		2.	For the WinLTP Reanalysis program, you can now reanalyze CurrentClamp recordings using current injection set by the screen fields of the stimulation template.
		3.	There have been no changes to the WInLTP Online Digidata program.

There have been improvements in running multiple WinLTP Onine M,X-Series programs on one computer

		1.	The different WinLTP acquisition programs can now be differentiated visually by the color of the 'SectionBars' (eg the Bars for Protocol, Continuous Acquisition, Analysis Graphs sections, etc).
		2.	WinLTP's name on the TaskBar and in the program TitleBar is different for different programs running. "WinLTP" appears for the first program (using 'Dev1'), "WinLTP 2" appears for the second program (using 'Dev2'), etc.
		3.	When WinLTP is started, the screen location (if not full screen) is restored to that when last exited. Therefore, on startup, the different WinLTP acquisition programs will be automatically placed in different screen locations.

WinLTP 1.11 (December, 2010)

Important Bug Fix for X-Series boards

X-Series boards now produce correct DigitalOut stimulation when running a SingleSweep Stimulation/Acquisition when the MainProtocol is not running.

Increased National Instruments Connector Box options

We have reevaluated the connector boxes for the PCI/PCIe M- and X-Series boards (Sections 2.4 and 2.8 in Manual).

		1.	We recommend the BNC-2110 over the BNC-2120 because it is simpler and cheaper.
		2.	Appropriate connector boxes are now also supported in Differential and Referenced Single-Ended (RSE) mode as well as the Non-Referenced Single-Ended (NRSE) mode that was used in WinLTP110 and earlier.
		3.	The BNC-2120 connector box will now be set up in Differential rather than NRSE mode.

USB 2.0 M-Series boards can now be used with Dual- and QuadCore computers

		1.	We have made substantial improvements in WinLTP 1.11 for running USB 2.0 M-Series boards, so that WinLTP no longer blocks the use of National Instruments USB boards (Section 2.4.1 in the Manual).
		2.	However, we have so far only done very limited testing of USB 2.0 M-Series boards, and have not yet tested USB X-Series boards. Therefore USB boards are in beta test.
		3.	In our limited testing we have found that although the USB 2.0 M-Series boards perform well on DualCore and QuadCore computers, they do not perform as well on Pentium 4 computers.

Added to the Experimental Log

		1.	The first sweep after an AddedEvent will be inserted no matter what (Section 11.7 in Manual).
		2.	Clicking on a 'Detection', 'Stimulation' or 'All' button now prints Detection, Stimulation or All Protocol Values to the Experimental Log (Section 11.10 in Manual).
		3.	All Protocol Values are printed to the Experimental Log when WinLTP is exited.

You an now run multiple WinLTP programs and AD boards on one computer

See Section 2.4.7 in the Manual.

WinLTP 1.10 (July, 2010)

Added an Experimental Log that shows

		1.	When WinLTP was started and exited
		2.	When the Seal Test protocol was entered and returned, and it will print the PulseAmp, Rpipette, Rseal, Rs, Rm and Idc values from the Seal Test
		3.	When

			a.	the Spreadsheet was cleared
			b.	an AmpFile was saved
			c.	a Protocol file was either opened or saved

		4.	When a Continuous Acquisition protocol was started and stopped
		5.	When the Main Protocol was started and stopped
		6.	When particular stimulation/acquisition Sweeps occurred. For example, if the titanic LTP induction stimulation was in a T0sweep, then the Experimental Log will record when that stimulation was delivered.
		7.	When there was a change in protocol flow, such as the starting and stopping of Loops, AvgLoops, Runs, Run of Run/Else, Else of Run/Else
		8.	When Evoked Single Events (i.e. single Sweeps) are delivered, and Repeat Events (i.e. multiple Sweeps) delivered
		9.	To be able to manually enter and record the time and solution change by keyboard input

and can

		Determine which Sweeps, Loops, Runs and Run/Elses to show
		When WinLTP was started and exited

Convert WinLTP ASCII Sweep Files to Axon Binary Files (*.abf)

Convert many WinLTP Sweep files to:

			1.	Many Single-sweep gap-free ABF files
			2.	Many Single-sweep episodic ABF files
			3.	One Multi-sweep episodic ABF file

Note: Stimulus information in WinLTP Sweep files is not converted to ABF files.

Increased the number of Analysis Graphs from 4 to 12

This was done by adding 8 Analysis Graphs to the new AnalysisPg

Changes in the Basic/Advanced Version capabilities

The Advanced Mode is now required:

			1.	To save the Expermental Log file
			2.	To convert WinLTP Sweep files to Axon Binary files (*.abf)
			3.	For Full Multitasking. The Advanced Mode is required to save Continuous Acqusition files while running the Main Protocol with either the LTP Protocol or Protocol Scripting. Before this was available in the Basic Mode.

What has not changed:

			1.	In the Basic Mode, Sweep files are still saved while running the LTP Protocol.
			2.	The Advanced Mode is still required to save Sweep files while running Protocol Scripting

Improved PopSpike detection in epileptiform bursts

To do this a PopSpike Detection Method dialog box was added to chose the method of detecting the maximum PopSpike between the default (and previous) Area method (which is better for PopSpikes in EPSPs), and new the Amplitude method (which is better for PopSpikes in epileptiform bursts).

Patch-clamp gain can now be set as mV/pA

This is to improve clarity of setting patch-clamp gain in mV/Unit (as in 10 mV/pA) because many patch-clamps set gain in mV/pA. This gain is included with the normal strait gain (as in 10000000000) and gain in Units/V (as in 100 pA/V).

Bug fixed

During reanalysis of Sweep files, the WinLTP reanalysis program became unresponsive to keyboard input if the time between the start of Sweep reanalysis was set to 0.0 sec. This is now fixed.

You will NOT have to rewrite your WinLTP 1.0 protocol files.

WinLTP 1.01 (July, 2009)

This is a mandatory upgrade due to an error in the Copy Protection scheme. WinLTP 1.00 will not correctly run after its 90 day Demotrial period has run out.

You will NOT have to rewrite your protocol files.

WinLTP 1.00 (May, 2009)

Running WinLTP in the Advanced Mode will now require a purchased license

		1.	When WinLTP is initially run, there is a Demotrial Period of 90 days in which both the Advanced and Basic Modes can be freely used.
		2.	After the Demotrial Period runs out, WinLTP can be freely used in the Basic Mode. However, although protocols can be run in the Advanced Mode, the Sweep data files cannot be saved.
		3.	A License Key for running in the Advanced Mode can be purchased from WinLTP Ltd., so that WinLTP can be run in the Advanced Mode and Sweep files can be saved.

Copy protection has been added

You may not attempt in any way to overcome the copy protection mechanisms for the Advanced Mode of WinLTP Acquisition. You are not allowed to:

			1.	Reverse engineer, debug or decompile WinLTP or the License Key.
			2.	Clock back the computer date or reinstall the program in an attempt to overcome the copy protection.
			3.	Distribute your License Key outside your lab group.

Running WinLTP in the Basic Mode remains free with no time constraints

		There is no Demotrial Period or any other timing out code for running in the Basic Mode
		Currently, there are no plans for to charge in future versions of WinLTP for running in the Basic Mode. However future changes to this policy cannot be eliminated.

The WinLTP Reanalysis program continues to be free

Important bug fixed

WinLTP can now run on ASUS and Intel Extreme motherboards. Versions 0.96 and earlier could not.

WinLTP 0.96 (September, 2008)

WinLTP096 is primarily a patch clamp upgrade

Record and stimulate from two patch-clamp electrodes simultaneously

			a.	Add second AnalogOutput channel (IC1) for AnalogInput channel AD1
			b.	Enable Rs/Rm analysis on AD1

		2.	Better intracellular analog stimulation, now includes analog trains and ramps (loop within loop stimulation)
		3.	Patch seal test protocol implemented

Improved Rs calculation

			a.	Rs single or double exponential curve fitting
			b.	Enable shift extrapolation back to time zero to before time zero
			c.	Indicate if RsPeak is clipped at +/-10.0 input voltage

Other enhancements

		1.	WinLTP works Windows Vista (with M-Series, but not Digidata 132x boards)
		2.	WinLTP Reanalysis works on Macs with Intel processors
		3.	Improved detection

			a.	Implemented Maximum Slope measurement within a larger BegTime/EndTime range
			b.	RiseTime and DecayTime Low% to High% of peak fields enabled
			c.	Latency % of peak field enabled

		4.	Save your Spreadsheet/ AmpFile data to an Excel XLS file
		5.	Reanalyze straight ASCII files (skip header)
		6.	Save relative sizes of panels to type protocol *.pro disk file
		7.	Save Sweep files with/without Time Column
		8.	In AboutBox add total physical memory, available physical memory, percent of memory in use
		9.	When running M-Sseries board, check that processor is HyperThreading or multi-Core
		10.	When running Digidata board, warn if processor is < 2.8 GHz
		11.	Start in Protocol Scripting mode instead of LTP Protocol mode

Important bug fixed

Bug fixed in Rs/Rm Measurement due to faulty use of RsRm pulse amplitude

			1.	When a protocol file is loaded, the RsRm pulse amplitude is the one used CORRECTLY for Rs and Rm calculations.
			2.	Therefore, if you don’t change your RsRm pulse amplitude during experiments, only the first experiment after a new protocol file has been written may have incorrect Rs and Rm values. The rest of the experiments will be fine.
			3.	However, if this RsRm pulse amplitude is changed during the experiment, the original RsRm amplitude is INCORRECTLY still used for all Rs and Rm calculations in this experiment. This will result in Rs and Rm being both incorrect and even negative for this one experiment.

Other bugs fixed

		1.	Zooming in Sweep and Analysis graphs now works well
		2.	Y CalibrationBar in EnhancedMetafile is now of reasonable length (one NumberLabeled GridLine).
		3.	FilesToReanalyze - Filename template now sticks from one analysis to another
		4.	DecayTimes were in minus msecs, now they are in plus msecs
		5.	Rapidly resizing the Protocol/Detection panel and the Mainpg panel no longer causes the program to hangup
		6.	The video related bug with Windows XP no longer occurs (before WinLTP could hang up during start-up if the XP font size was Large or Extra Large rather than Normal).

Unfixable Bug Found

ASUS motherboards do not work with National Instruments M-Series boards - this 'unfixable' bug has been fixed in WinLTP 1.00!

WinLTP 0.95b (September, 2007)

This is basically a time limit extension version.

One enhancement

WinLTP095b will now work with National Instruments M-Series boards using the PCIexpress bus.

WinLTP 0.95 (February, 2007)

LTP Protocol enhancements (no scripting is involved)

		1.	Bug Fixed: When Single and Repeat PulseSweeps are evoked during an AvgLoop, they will not be run during the AvgLoop, but only after it is finished.
		2.	For LTD stimulation with averaging (or any AvgLoop within a Loop), now print the current number of sweeps evoked and total number of sweeps to be evoked in the RunLine.
		3.	After an evoked FastRepeat LTD or ThetaBurst stimulation, an extra Delay period can be added to separate this stimulation from the subsequent normal repeating sweep stimulation.

Protocol Scripting enhancements

		1.	An evoked single or repeat sweep stimulation can occur at beginning of a Delay statement. This allows one to precisely place when an evoked sweep will occur during a delay period.
		2.	Run Once[x] checkbox so that you do not need to uncheck a [ ]Run statement when you want to run the the code within the Run construct only once
		3.	Run / ElseRun construct to quickly change between one or the other of two stimulations in Run statements

Additional Enhancements

Implement Enable Single & FastRepeat CheckBoxes so that only the buttons for the evoked Single or Repeat stimulations you want will be enabled

The WinLTP Manual has been essentially completed

The Reanalysis chapter has been completed

Bugs fixed

Evoking Single or Repeat Pulse Sweeps (P0sweep or P1sweep) can no longer occur in an AvgLoop

			a.	In the previous versions of WinLTP from WinLTP090 to WinLTP094, this was because in an Averaging Loop the P0sweeps and the P1sweeps are being averaged by adding to an array in each pulse sweep that sums all the sweeps and then is divided by the number of loops. If Single or Repeat P0 or P1 sweeps are evoked, this adds to the sum array but does not change the number of loops – hence the average will be wrong!
			b.	However, evoking Single or Repeat T0 or T1 sweeps in an Averaging Loop is fine because these do not have a sum array and averaging is never done on them. And if you are doing scripting, only one P0sweep and only one P1sweep is allowed in an Averaging Loop – e.g. this possible bug has been prohibited in scripting..
			c.	This bug was fixed by changing WinLTP so that when Single and Repeat PulseSweeps are evoked during an AvgLoop, they will not be run during the AvgLoop, but only after it is finished

		2.	Blocked inserting an AvgLoop within an AvgLoop (since it doesn't make sense to do so)
		3.	Fixed an 'Access Violation in module Tee6c6.bpl’ error in the Reanalysis program that occurred when averaging trains with analyzing all pulses in the train

WinLTP 0.94 (October, 2006)

This version is primarily a bug fix version due to the change in calculating Rm.

Important bug fixed

Corrected Rm cell input resistance measurement bug

			In the previous versions of WinLTP (WinLTP090 to WinLTP093), the cell input resistance Rm was incorrectly calculated as
			Rm = V_Pulse / I_SteadyState
			and is now correctly calculated in WinLTP094 and later as
			Rm = V_Pulse / I_SteadyState - Rs
			Because Rs is usually much less than Rm, Rm ~ Vpulse / Isteadstate still is roughly true, but since Rs values are typically 5% to 10% of Rm values, previous Rm values (from WinLTP090 to WinLTP093) are roughly 5% to 10% too high. Since Rm = Vpulse / Isteadystate - Rs is the theoretically correct function, it is now used in the Rm calculation when Rs is being measured.

Fixed M-Seres board bug where input signals "wrap around" when <-10V or >+10V

Input signals are now correctly pinned at -10V or +10V.

Online measurement of Rs from the unfiltered trace, and the synaptic Peak Amplitude from the filtered trace

This will usually enable the Rs and Peak Amplitude to be correctly measured without doing a reanalysis.

Changed the Rm measurement from 50%->90% to 70%->90% of the RsRm test pulse duration

We found that sometimes the voltage had not settled to steady state by 50% of the pulse duration and therefore increased it to 70% in hopes of obtaining more accurate Rm measurements.

Added an 's' after the Sweep and Delay Period fields for clarity, to denote their measurements in seconds

For example, changed [ ]P0sweep 20 and [ ]Delay 10 to [ ]P0sweep 20s and [ ]Delay 10s.

WinLTP 0.93 (August, 2006)

WinLTP now supports the National Instruments M-Series boards for the PCI bus

		Supported M-Series boards include the PCI-6221, PCI-6229, PCI-6251 and PCI-6259
		M-Series boards for the USB bus are currently not yet supported

Decrease in response time delay to keyboard input for M-Series PCI boards

The response time delay to keyboard input has decreased from 5.0 sec for Axon Digidata 132x boards to 0.5 sec for M-Series PCI boards

WinLTP 0.92 (March, 2006)

This is a last minute debug version before we begin installing the National Instruments M-Series boards.

Fixed PowerOn code bug - there is no longer any 5v digital output

		Now when the Digidata 1320A/1322A is tuned on, all digital and and analog outputs go to 0 volts
		If somehow the Power-On data changes, WinLTP will recognize this and require recalibration of the Digidata 1320A/1322A

CalcGraph MinTime values now snap to 1 min increments

Previously, CalcGraph MinTime values snapped to values 1/10the the plot duration. If the MinTime was say set to 5 min, and the plot duration was 300 minutes, then clicking on the CalcGraph with the mouse could cause the MinTime to snap back to 0 min, which was usually not desired. This no longer happens.

When the Reanalysis dialog box is reopened, the previous last FilenameTemplate used is now shown

This has been reworked and now hopefully works correctly

We have apparently solved the problems with the Digidata 1320A

The problem with getting certain (probably older) Digidata 1320As to install, calibrate and work properly is at least partly due to using old AxoScope dll files. If you are having problems, upgrade your AxoScope to the lastest version (and copy over the dll files to the \ WinLTP folder) by freely downloading AxoScope from Molecular Devices at:

www.moleculardevices.com

WinLTP 0.91 (February, 2006)

Improved Reanalysis program

Now Sweep and Calc graphs properly clear when reanalyzing at high speed with no delay between files loaded (e.g. if the Reanalysis Period = 0 sec)

When the Reanalysis dialog box is reopened, the previous last FilenameTemplate used is now shown

		When the Reanalysis dialog box is reopened, the previous last FilenameTemplate (e.g. .P1) and FilesOfType (Pulse Files (.P?)) are now shown.
		In other words, you don’t have to retype! the FilenameTemplate or FilesOfType each time you reanalyze!

The improved ability to run continuous sweeps (with no delay between them)

In WinLTP090 this was a Limitation as described below as:

“Probably the most computer intensive task that WinLTP has to face is repeat sweep stimulation with no delay in-between. For now, a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 processor and a fast video graphics card has difficulty saving contiguous sweeps longer than 2 seconds. (This is because, for now, sweeps are saved after, rather than during, acquisition.) Contiguous sweeps of down to 0.1 sec duration, however, can be saved."

This Limitation has now been largely removed

Now a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 computer with a fast video graphics card can run and save contiguous sweeps of 100 seconds.

To remove this Limitation these changes were made:

			1.	ContAcq graphs now always correctly clear
			2.	Sweeps and Analysis Graphs now always correctly plot
			3.	The time to next sweep is now correctly printed on the RunLine
			4.	Tabs, Dialogs, Fields and StimGraphs are now quickly updated

Save Sweep Graph as a Windows Enhanced Metafile

This allows Sweep graphs to be directly imported into plotting programs. Just double click (using the left mouse button) on the dark gray area containing the axis values surrounding the Sweep data window to bring up the metafile dialog box (see Section 15.11 of the WinLTP manual).

CalcLines, Brackets, Crosses and Arrows are now plotted on Sweep graphs

These now more clearly show where

			1.	Duration is marked by Vertical Lines and Left/Right Arrows
			2.	PSamp is marked by Up/Down Arrows and Left/Right Brackets
			3.	PkAmp is marked by Up/Down Arrows
			4.	Coastline is marked by Left/Right Brackets
			5.	RiseTime & DecayTime are marked by Crosses

Added ElectrodeConnections dialog box

This is opened from the Help menu, and shows where the stimulus isolation units and amplifiers are connected to the data acquisition board.

WinLTP 0.90 (from the DOS LTP Program, version 2.4) (August, 2005)

Multitasking

		a.	LTP Program capability (repeat sweep stimulation, acquisition and analysis) maintained and advanced
		b.	Tape recorder (Continuous Acquisition of 2 AD channels down to 25 usec sample intervals, saved to a gap-free Axon Binary File)
		c.	Capture Spontaneous Events and save to disk (Online analysis not implemented yet)


	Use Protocol Builder to write complex protocols. No programming required for LTP protocols.

	Repetitive sweeps sampling interval now down to 25 usec
	Fast Repeat (LTD) Sweep Stimulation with no time between sweeps
	Patch clamp stimulation now in mV
	Patch Electrode Series Resistance (Rs) and Cell Resistance (Rm) now measured in Mohms
	More accurate Patch Electrode Series Resistance (Rs) (using lower 50 or 25 usec sample intervals)
	Runs in Windows 2000 and XP