We are motivated by one central question: What types of collective activity emerge when hundreds of closely-spaced neurons interact in the mammalian cortex? We have chosen to focus on three areas:
- Do such neurons operate near a critical point, where information transmission, information storage and computational power are optimized?
- What is the pattern of functional connectivity in such networks? Although excitatory neurons in cortex seem to have roughly the same number of synapses, this does not necessarily imply that they carry the same volume of traffic.
- If synergy is used to quantify computation, what is the pattern of computation in such networks? Very little is known about how network topology and computation are related.
Research Interests:
- Simultaneous recording of neurons in cortical networks using multielectrode arrays (MEAs)
- Looking for hallmarks of criticality in cortical networks
- Functional connectivity patterns in cortical neurons
- Exploring synergy in networks of neurons
Research interests
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