Monthly Archives: February 2017

Tales of Bio-Land: x, y and z

In the last episode, the electrical dialogue between cells and digital systems changed its form, taking us to a different level in the multi-layered number of scales and lenses we can choose for looking at biological systems. From the detailed dynamics of the single cell, we passed onto the consideration of a cellular network living in a two-dimensional environment. If such cells are neurons, that implies including a fundamental aspect of their nature: the exchange and computation of information through electrophysiological signals between cells. But if we want to approach even more closely the actual nature of biological neural networks, we are definitely still missing something. In fact, in our (and other) brains, cells do not grow on a planar surface, but rather occupy a three-dimensional volume together with other cellular types with supportive or other roles. Let’s skip for now the coexistence of other cell types. If we have in mind to replicate the physiology of the CNS, growing cells in a three-dimensional environment is crucial. In fact, that allows for the formation of way more connections between neurons since they can grow their axons and dendrites in all directions. That allows for comprising more of the complexity of […]

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