Learning in vitro

I grow cortical neurons over grids of electrodes and seek how rules of neural network communication can scale to produce cognition: learning, memory, and creativity.

Extracellular multi-electrode arrays (MEA) allow a conversation with the neurons in 2-directions via electrical recording and stimulation.
My research currently has two main themes:
1) embodying neurons with real<http://frontiersin.org/neurorobotics/paper/10.3389/neuro.12/005.2007/>
and simulated <http://djbakkum.googlepages.com/jne2008.pdf> robots to study"learning *in vitro*"; and
2) characterizing a novel form of neuralplasticity in the propagation of actionpotentials<http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002088>.