Closed loop stimulation / plasticity

When two elementary brain-processes have been active together or in immediate succession, one of them, on reoccurring, tends to propagate its excitement to the other… William James, Principles of Psychology (1890)

These protocols represent simplified models of the sensorimotor interactions between our brains and the environment with which we explore fundamental questions about experience-dependent learning. By imposing a consistent causal relationship between neural activity at two sites in the nervous system, closed-loop stimulation can drive associative Hebbian plasticity, possibly by potentiating synaptic connections.

Using Neurochip technology to manipulate specific neural connections, we are investigating the relation between cellular and system level descriptions of plasticity. We then translate this understanding into the design of next-generation implantable and wearable devices to deliver spatio-temporally targeted neurostimulation and enhance the formation of new, functional circuits following injury.

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