Neuromorphic device architectures with global connectivity through electrolyte gating

By P. Gkoupidenis, D. Koutsouras, George G. Malliaras. Nature Communications, 2017

296 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Information processing in the brain takes place in a network of neurons that are connected with each other by an immense number of synapses. At the same time, neurons are immersed in a common electrochemical environment, and global parameters such as concentrations of various hormones regulate the overall network function. This computational paradigm of global regulation, also known as homeoplasticity, has important implications in the overall behaviour of large neural ensembles and is barely addressed in neuromorphic device architectures. Here, we demonstrate the global control of an array of organic devices based on poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulf) that are immersed in an electrolyte, a behaviour that resembles homeoplasticity phenomena of the neural environment. We use this effect to produce behaviour that is reminiscent of the coupling between local activity and global oscillations in the biological neural networks. We further show that the electrolyte establishes complex connections between individual devices, and leverage these connections to implement coincidence detection. These results demonstrate that electrolyte gating offers significant advantages for the realization of networks of neuromorphic devices of higher complexity and with minimal hardwired connectivity. Global regulation of synaptic strengths in neural systems is known as homeoplasticity. Here, Gkoupideniset al. use an electrolyte to connect and control an array of organic electrochemical devices, in order to demonstrate behaviour that resembles homeoplasticity phenomena in the brain.

Subfields: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/43f1d4c17f7a0bd2090378d0fe7a00c210122b32

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

1. George G. Malliaras
2. Alberto Salleo
3. Armantas Melianas
4. Scott T. Keene
5. Y. van de Burgt

In Electrical and Electronic Engineering

1. George G. Malliaras
2. Alberto Salleo
3. Armantas Melianas
4. Scott T. Keene
5. Y. van de Burgt

Citations in the corpus

• Organic electronics for neuromorphic computing (2018, background): “The electrolyte can also be used to couple one gate to multiple channels, in a way that is reminiscent of the global control of neurons in the brain, achieved by parameters such as hormones, ion concentration and temperature 103 (Fig.”