Sharif Digital Repository

It is now widely accepted that memristive devices are promising candidates for the emulation of the behavior of biological synapses in neuromorphic systems. This is mainly because of the fact that like the strength of synapse, memristance of the memristive device can be tuned actively for example by the application of voltage or current. In addition, it is also possible to fabricate high density of memristive devices through the nano-crossbar structures. In this paper, we will show that there are some problems associated with memristive devices, which are playing the role of biological synapses. For example, we show that the variation rate of the memristance depends completely on the initial... 

Although diffusive electrical connections in neuronal networks are instantaneous, excitatory/inhibitory couplings via chemical synapses encompass a transmission time-delay. In this paper neural networks with instantaneous electrical couplings and time-delayed excitatory/inhibitory chemical connections are considered and scaling of the spike phase synchronization with the unified time-delay in the network is investigated. The findings revealed that in both excitatory and inhibitory chemical connections, the phase synchronization could be enhanced by introducing time-delay. The role of the variability of the neuronal external current in the phase synchronization is also investigated. As... 

We introduce a modified-firing-rate model based on Hebbian-type changing synaptic connections. The existence and stability of solutions such as rest state, bumps, and traveling waves are shown for this type of model. Three types of kernels, namely exponential, Mexican hat, and periodic synaptic connections, are considered. In the former two cases, the existence of a rest state solution is proved and the conditions for their stability are found. Bump solutions are shown for two kinds of synaptic kernels, and their stability is investigated by constructing a corresponding Evans function that holds for a specific range of values of the kernel coefficient strength (KCS). Applying a similar... 

In this study we will show that the variation rate of the memristance of the memristive device depends completely on its current memristance which means that it can change significantly with time during the learning phase. This phenomenon can degrade the performance of learning methods like Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) and cause the corresponding neuromorphic systems to become unstable  

Network tools have been extensively applied to study the properties of brain functional and anatomical networks. In this paper, resiliency of Caenorhabditis elegans cortical networks against cascaded failures is studied. To this end, directed network formed by chemical connections and undirected network formed by electrical couplings through gap junctions are considered. Furthermore, two types of C. elegans networks are studied: the whole cortical network of the hermaphrodite type and the network of the posterior cortex in male C. elegans. The results show that resiliency of hermaphrodite and male networks is different. The male cortical network of chemical synapses shows extensively weaker... 

Accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) soluble forms in the cerebral parenchyma is the mainstream concept underlying memory deficit in the early phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD). PKMζ plays a critical role in the maintenance of long-term memory. Yet, the role of this brain-specific enzyme has not been addressed in AD. We examined the impact of hippocampal PKMζ overexpression on AD-related memory impairment in rats. Oligomeric form of Aβ (oAβ) or vehicle was bilaterally microinjected into the dorsal hippocampus of male Wistar rats under stereotaxic surgery. One week later, 2 μl of lentiviral vector (108 T.U. / ml.) encoding PKMζ genome was microinjected into the dorsal hippocampus. Seven days... 

Recent advances in biomaterials, microfabrication, microfluidics, and cell biology have led to the development of organ-on-a-chip devices that can reproduce key functions of various organs. Such platforms promise to provide novel insights into various physiological events, including mechanisms of disease, and evaluate the effects of external interventions, such as drug administration. The neuroscience field is expected to benefit greatly from these innovative tools. Conventional ex vivo studies of the nervous system have been limited by the inability of cell culture to adequately mimic in vivo physiology. While animal models can be used, their relevance to human physiology is uncertain and...