Light induced engrams in in-vitro neuronal cultures

In the thesis is described the development of two platforms to optogenetically induce single neuron excitation and formation of memory in biological in-vitro neuronal networks.One platform is a photonic chip, with aperiodic grating scatterers able to create a specific light distribution on the surface of the chip. The second platform is a digital light processor device integrated in a microscopy setup, able to create on the sample plane whatever pattern with 3 um resolution. Stimulating simultaneously many neurons, it was demonstrated the ability of this system to induce potentiation on the illuminated cells, and thus engram formation.