Logic Devices from Neuronal Cultures (to design a novel neuronal
device click here) Neurons in the brain perform amazing
calculations in a flash, but if you put them into a dish they
become sluggish and 'stupid' - i.e. their response repertoire is
very limited. Our principal question is how the connections
between the neurons be manipulated so as to improve their
computational capacity. In the current project, we used 1D
cultures and took one step up the dimensionality scale to create
"function-follows-structure" neuronal devices. For example the
triangular diode alternates between one and two dimensional
patterns to create an asymmetric connectivity between ensembles
of neurons. The transmission of signals along a line that
includes these devices is necessary if we want to measure the
performance of our devices - this is how we are able to control
their input, located in a defined area of the culture, and
measure their output, located at a different area. Nine separate
neuronal devices patterned on a single