Computer models of the electrical activities in hippocampal neurons

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The main objectives of the proposed research program are: 1) Develop macroscopic and microscopic computer models to elucidate the nature of the brain's electrical activity under normal and pathological states (such as epilepsy). In particular, include mechanisms of neuroplasticity in the existing models to investigate their effects on system state transitions. Macroscopic models will characterize the "system" behaviour in terms of electrical brain rhythms using cognitive rhythm generator models (proposed by our lab team), and microscopic models will characterize ionic transport mechanisms in cellular models using stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley type models - that exhibit the noise-like activity recorded (by our lab team) from hyperpolarized hippocampal neurons. 2) Develop artificial neural networks that learn, the various brain states and their state transitions, from the biological neural networks. 3) Develop responsive stimulators, based on the above models, to abolish the onset of spontaneous seizure-like events. 4) Develop electronic hardware implementations of the computer models to be used as substitutes for damaged neurons in the learning and memory sites of the brain.