Article Abstract:
A multi-analyte fibre-optic sensor based on the vertebrate olfactory system accurately identifies individual organic vapors at varying concentrations. In this olfactory model, the fibre tips contain polymer-immobilized dye molecules which produce different fluorescent response patterns depending on the physical and chemical properties of the polymer and organic vapors. The neural network is trained in olfactory differentiation through video images of temporal responses of the multi-fibre tip. The sensors respond consistently over several weeks and for a large number of analytes.
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Article Abstract:
The development of long-term memory depends on the alterations in synapse strength that was induced by sensory experience which leads to protein-synthesis-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP). The varying patterns of synaptic change induced by sensory experiences are characterized by consolidation of LTP and modification of synaptic proteins via dephosphorylation or phosphorylation. The consolidation of LTP is also triggered by a wave of repeated tetanic stimulations. Furthermore, the consolidation of events into long term memory involves CRE-mediated gene expression.
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Article Abstract:
The modification threshold (theta(sub m)) of synaptic plasticity varies in proportion to the history of cortical activity. The value of theta(sub m) depends on sensory experience. The variation permits synaptic weights in neural networks to attain a stable equilibrium. Light deprivation changes synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex such that long-term potentiation is high and long-term depression is low over a range of stimulation frequencies. The effects are, however, reversed on exposure to light for two days.
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