Hybrid Networks

The hybrid systems technique was originally developed as a tool to study small networks interaction and dynamics. The principle is to inject through an intracellular recording electrode, an artificial synaptic current that mimics realistic interaction between neurons. This procedure requires as many intracellular electrodes as artificial synapses. It provides a way to connect in a realistic way a biological neuron recorded in vivo or in vitro with a model cell or network.
This method lies between pure computational modelling and experiments, associating the strength of direct experiments and the analytical power of computational methods. The user obtains a level of networks dynamics that is not possible to attain with current methods used in electrophysiology. It provides in-depth and real-time control of membrane, synaptic conductance and network structure in order to assess their role in the activity of cells and networks.