An analog circuit capable of accurately emulating large complex cells, or multiple less complex ones is described. This circuit is termed the FPNA or the field programmable neural array. It is analogous to the more familiar FPGA, but is composed of biologically relevant circuit components including active channels, dendrites, and synapses. Taking each of these circuit models, and adding a routing structure capable of routing outputs from cells (or external inputs) to any individual synapse at any node yields a device which is capable of emulating complex biological circuits. This circuit opens doors to investigating what particular types of computation individual cells are performing, as well as small networks simpler cells.
['Ethan Farquhar', 'Christal Gordon', 'Paul E. Hasler']
A field programmable neural array