Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Contribution of the Na+/K+ Pump to Rhythmic Bursting, Explored with Modeling and Dynamic Clamp Analyses
Published on: May 9, 2021
The effect of learning on bursting
Jan Stegenga1, Joost Le Feber, Enrico Marani
1Institute of Biomedical Technology (BMTI), Department of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Biomedical Signals and Systems Group (BSS), University of Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands. j.stegenga@utwente.nl
Abstract:
We have studied the effect that learning a new stimulus-response (SR) relationship had within a neuronal network cultured on a multielectrode array. For training, we applied repetitive focal electrical stimulation delivered at a low rate (<1/s). Stimulation was withdrawn when a desired SR success ratio was achieved. It has been shown elsewhere, and we verified that this training algorithm, named conditional repetitive stimulation (CRS), can be used to strengthen an initially weak SR. So far, it remained unclear what the role of the rest of the network during learning was. We therefore studied the effect of CRS on spontaneously occurring network bursts. To this end, we made profiles of the firing rates within network bursts. We have earlier shown that these profiles change shape on a time base of several hours during spontaneous development. We show here that profiles of summed activity, called burst profiles, changed shape at an increased rate during CRS. This suggests that the whole network was involved in making the changes necessary to incorporate the desired SR relationship. However, a local (path-specific) component to learning was also found by analyzing profiles of single-electrode-activity phase profiles. Phase profiles that were not part of the SR relationship changed far less during CRS than the phase profiles of the electrodes that were part of the SR relationship. Finally, the manner in which phase profiles changed shape varied and could not be linked to the SR relationship.
Related Concept Videos
Long-term Potentiation
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Long-term Potentiation
Buffer Effectiveness
The buffer capacity is the amount of acid or base that can be added to a given volume...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...

