What Can the NeuraLynx Digital Lynx Data Acquisition Systems Do?

The NeuraLynx Digital Lynx family is a line of multichannel neural recording data acquisition systems built for neuroscience research. Based on NeuraLynx's own product pages, the Digital Lynx + is described as a high-performance, multichannel, low-noise system offering 1024 channels for recording and stimulation, while the Digital Lynx SX is presented as a high-performance, expandable recording system with closed-loop processing. In short: these systems are the core hardware platform for capturing (and in some configurations stimulating) many neural channels at once, then feeding that data into NeuraLynx's research software for acquisition, experiment control, and analysis.

What the Digital Lynx systems are for

The Digital Lynx line sits under NeuraLynx's Research Hardware → Data Acquisition category, alongside FreeLynx and the LabLynx Portable System. That placement tells you what they're meant to do: acquire neural signals from electrodes, digitize them across many channels, and hand them off to software for experiment control and analysis.

Typical capabilities implied by the product listing:

• High channel counts — the Digital Lynx + is stated at 1024 channels for recording and stimulation.
• Low-noise recording — explicitly called out as a design goal, which matters when neural signals are small.
• Expandability — the Digital Lynx SX is described as expandable, so channel count and configuration can grow with the experiment.
• Closed-loop processing — the Digital Lynx SX is described with closed-loop processing, meaning recorded activity can drive stimulation or other outputs within the same system.

Digital Lynx + vs. Digital Lynx SX

If your priority is maximum stated channel count and stimulation capability, the Digital Lynx + is the one with a concrete number attached. If your priority is an expandable platform with closed-loop processing, the Digital Lynx SX is the relevant option. The page evidence does not give a channel figure for the SX, so don't assume it matches the "+" — check the specific product page before deciding.

What surrounds the acquisition hardware

A Digital Lynx system isn't used alone. NeuraLynx lists a supporting ecosystem that determines what you can actually record:

• Headstages and pre-amplifiers — the front end that sits close to the electrodes.
• EIBs (electrode interface boards) — connect electrodes to the acquisition system.
• Tether cables — carry signals from the animal to the hardware.
• Commutators — including the Saturn Commutator under Optogenetics, for freely moving preparations.
• Microdrives and adapters — for positioning electrodes.
• Camera Kit and video tracking — to synchronize behavior with neural data.
• Imp 128 Impedance Tester — for checking electrode impedance.

On the software side, the Research Software section covers Acquisition & Experiment Control, Data Analysis, File Converters & Utilities, Hardware Control, Video Tracking, Development Drivers & Firmware, plus Python Utilities and MATLAB-Netcom Utilities. So the practical answer to "what can it do" includes not just recording, but experiment control, behavioral video integration, and downstream analysis or conversion of the recorded files.

How to decide whether it fits your work

Ask these questions before choosing a Digital Lynx configuration:

1. How many channels do you need simultaneously? If you're near or above several hundred, the Digital Lynx + figure of 1024 channels is the relevant benchmark.
2. Do you need stimulation, not just recording? The Digital Lynx + is described as covering recording and stimulation.
3. Do you need closed-loop experiments? The Digital Lynx SX is the model described with closed-loop processing.
4. Will the setup grow? The SX is described as expandable; confirm current limits with NeuraLynx.
5. What's your electrode and behavioral setup? Match headstages, EIBs, commutators, and video tracking to your preparation.

Practical notes

• The page evidence does not list prices, so cost must be obtained directly from NeuraLynx.
• Channel counts, expandability, and closed-loop behavior are the differentiators stated on the site; other specifications (sampling rates, noise figures, physical dimensions) are not in the provided evidence and should be confirmed on the individual product pages.
• NeuraLynx also maintains a separate Clinical line (ATLAS systems, Pegasus software), so if your work is clinical rather than research, the Digital Lynx research hardware is not the matching product family.

For a research lab that needs many simultaneous neural channels with the option of stimulation and closed-loop control, the Digital Lynx + and Digital Lynx SX are the two starting points — pick based on channel count and closed-loop needs, then build out the headstage, EIB, tether, and software stack around that choice.