Michael A. Sikora
sikora@umn.edu

Consultant in Mathematical Modeling and Computational Simulation of Neural Systems
Bio-realistic simulation from channel kinetics to network behavior

I have been involved in Neuroscience since the early 1970s working in a variety of laboratories at the University of Illinois and then the University of Minnesota Medical Centers (see my CV and Publications ) Having designed and implemented electrophysiological experiments in the cochlea and retina for over 15 years, I bring to the task of modeling and simulation, in addition to my programming skills, an understanding of the Scientific Method and an ability to abstract information from both data and the literature, cast that information into quantitative terms, and then code a simulation of the phenomena on a digital computer.

My prefered tool for Computational Neuroscience is the NEURON system developed by Michael Hines and now maintained by him and Ted Carnevale at Yale University. I have been programming in NEURON for over 10 years, using it at the fundamental modular level for ion-channel and synaptic process modeling to the construction of large networked multi-unit simulations. Other tools that have proved helpful have been C++ and Matlab for both preliminary analysis and final simulation. My first neural simulation (of the retina) was done in SmallTalk in 1986. An ongoing project for a current client is a multi-cellular simulation of the cortex with realistic unit activity at the ionic level. This model realistically replicates in a principled manner evoked somatosensory MEG responses seen in human subjects. Please see Clients & Collaborators.



Clients and Collaborators
Curriculum Vitae
Publications



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