Rodney Douglas, Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETHZ/UNIZ, Gloriastr 32, Zurich 8006
The nervous system has been honed over millions of years by evolution into a robust and efficient biological computer that must ensure the survival of individuals and species. The architecture and operation of this natural computer differs in significant ways from artificial, digital computers. The neocortex offers a dramatic opportunity to grasp the central principles of natural computation. Our Institute uses a variety of methods to study the neuronal circuits that compose the neocortex, and to explore the computational processes that they support. I will present an overview of neuronal circuits in the striate visual cortex, describe some computational processes that that cortical circuits might support, and describe our efforts to emulate these processes using analog CMOS VLSI electronic circuits.