Understanding the functional architecture of large-scale neuronal networks

In collaboration with the group of Joszef Kiss at the fundamental neuroscience department, we developed a multichannel epicranial EEG mapping system for rodents. It consists of 32 electrodes equally distributed on the scalp surface.

The data are analyzed exactly as the human data, i.e. with spatio-temporal mapping methods. Since the method is minimally invasive, it can be repeated many times in the same animal.

Currently we use this system to study the response of the brain to somatosensory stimulation of the whiskers. Our preliminary data show very stable activation patterns within as well as between animals. We thus think that this system could be an ideal animal model for the study of large-scale neuronal networks.