Novel applications of dynamic-clamp to the electrophysiology study of neuronal microcircuitry.

The main topic of this project is the study of neural microcircuits - i.e., small groups of interconnected neurons that constitute the fundamental computational units of the brain - in the rat primary sensory cortex. The principal tool that will be used in this research is the dynamic-clamp, a real-time, computer-controlled experimental protocol that combines electrophysiology with mathematical modelling: dynamic-clamp provides an effective way of substituting a real element - e.g., a neuron or a synapse - with a corresponding mathematical model that becomes "alive" and reacting in real-time as it is run on the computer, in order to understand its role in the microcircuit.

Keywords:NEURONAL MICROCIRCUITS, CELL BIOLOGY

Disciplines:Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing