Learning in Networks of Cortical Neurons

By Goded Shahaf, Shimon Marom. Journal of Neuroscience, 2001

444 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The results presented here demonstrate selective learning in a network of real cortical neurons. We focally stimulate the network at a low frequency (0.3–1 Hz) until a desired predefined response is observed 50 ± 10 msec after a stimulus, at which point the stimulus is stopped for 5 min. Repeated cycles of this procedure ultimately lead to the desired response being directly elicited by the stimulus. By plotting the number of stimuli required to achieve the target response in each cycle, we are able to generate learning curves. Presumably, the repetitive stimulation is driving changes in the circuit, and we are selecting for changes consistent with the predefined desired response. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time learning of arbitrarily chosen tasks, in networks composed of real cortical neurons, is demonstrated outside of the body.

Subfields: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ab9bf25c54fa9cfffd18cad5e0cb4dd9a3dfa208

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. Elisha Moses
2. Ofer Feinerman
3. Assaf Rotem

In Cognitive Neuroscience

1. Elisha Moses
2. Ofer Feinerman
3. Assaf Rotem
4. Santo Fortunato

Citations in the corpus

• A microelectrode array (MEA) integrated with clustering structures for investigating in vitro neurodynamics in confined interconnected sub-populations of neurons (2006, unknown): “tive properties [1–6].”
• Dynamics and Effective Topology Underlying Synchronization in Networks of Cortical Neurons (2006, unknown): “Cortical neurons were obtained from newborn rats within 24 h after birth, following standard procedures (Shahaf and Marom, 2001; Marom and Shahaf, 2002; Eytan et al., 2003, 2004).”
• Long-term characterization of firing dynamics of spontaneous bursts in cultured neural networks (2004, background): “Recently, [54] has also reported highly stable phase relationships in spontaneous firing between pairs of cultured neocortical neurons, albeit only for the duration of 5-h recording periods.”
• Reliable neuronal logic devices from patterned hippocampal cultures (2008, methodology): “Only when homogeneity is broken, using either ‘blue prints’ for connectivity (as we have demonstrated) or synaptic modulation in response to input”
• An extremely rich repertoire of bursting patterns during the development of cortical cultures (2006, background): “These studies described fundamental properties of network activity patterns [1-5], plasticity [6,7], learning in vitro [8-12], applications of cell cultures in pharmacological testing [13], and models of epilepsy [14].”