Problem

If an implant is used with two or more subjects in the same experiment (Ponemah v6.x), only the data from the most recent subject will be readily available. Previous subjects will not appear as options to export or load into review.

Cause

After renaming a subject, the waveform data of further acquisitions will append to the .PNMWAV file created with the first subject’s name. While the .PNMWAV file keeps the earlier subject name, new Marks and Results files are created when acquisition begins with the new subject name.

Renaming a subject will also rewrite the .PNMEXP file. Only the subjects whose names are currently saved in the .PNMEXP file are available for export and/or review.

Workaround Options

Prevention

Option 1

When using an implant for more than one subject, create a new experiment for the second subject and use the new experiment for the acquisition. If the implant is used in more than two subjects, continue creating new experiments for each reimplantation.

Note: Ponemah can acquire from one experiment at a time. Therefore, create a second experiment only after all first-use subjects have completed their acquisitions – plan accordingly.

Option 2

Instead of making a new experiment a new subject can be created from within the Subject Setup window and the transmitter can be assigned to this new subject.

The example below shows that Rat01 which is selected is associated with the HD-S10 (826895).  This association is made automatically when the implant was first created in the MX2 Configuration.

If the transmitter has been removed and implanted into a new subject, changing the Subject Name field WILL NOT WORK to start a new data file for the new subject.  The program will still associate the channels with the original subject and data will continue to be saved into the original file.

An entirely new subject must be created by selecting the 'Add New Subject' button .  A new subject will be created with no transmitter association.  Assign a name, which is Rat1234 in this example.

After setting the Subject Name click back to the original subject that the transmitter will be moved from, in this case Rat01.  Move the mouse pointer over the transmitter and it will turn into a hand icon.

Click and drag the transmitter up to the left and drop it in the new subject.

Afterward Rat01 still exists as a subject and its' data will remain as it was collected, however the transmitter shows as 'Removed'.  The program now recognizes Rat1234 as an entirely new subject which is associated with transmitter HD-S10 (826895) and will start collecting a new data file for this subject with the new subject name.

Recovery

To illustrate the recovery options, imagine the following scenario.

Note: To recover data from the first-use subject(s), you must know which subject names shared the same implant. In this example, you need to know that “Rat 1” and “Rat 2” were the subject names used on Implant A; “Mouse 1” and “Mouse 2” were the subject names used on Implant B.

Option 1

Open the experiment, and rename “Rat 2” as “Rat 1”. Save the experiment. Export directly from Ponemah, or Start Review and Save Derived Data.

Note: Renaming “Mouse 2” as “Rat 1” will not successfully recover “Rat 1” data.

Note: The parameter data will include rows from throughout the acquisition on each implant. Rows corresponding with the subject currently named will contain data. Rows corresponding to the unnamed subject will not contain data.

Option 2

Create parser segments corresponding to the different subjects and based on the known datetime of explanation/reimplantation.

Reanalyze the entire channel to add marks to the full waveform.

Save Parsed Data.

Manually edit the resulting spreadsheet to show the appropriate subject on the worksheets.

Note: You must know the date and time when the implant was recycled from the first to the second subject.