A biophysically-based neuromorphic model of spike rate- and timing-dependent plasticity

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 6;108(49):E1266-74. Epub 2011 Nov 16.
A biophysically-based neuromorphic model of spike rate- and timing-dependent plasticity.
Rachmuth G, Shouval HZ, Bear MF, Poon CS.

This work is Emulating neural rate or timing dependent plasticity by constructing CMOS electric circuit. They reproduced AMPA, NMDA and CB1 (Endocannabinod Receptor)channel, and post-synaptic Ca2+ dynamics. They indicated with this electronic circuit that spike rate and timing plasticities are depend on similar mechanism and reproduced LTP and LTD of both plasticity.
I read this article to study electric circuit (I am not good at this field). I felt that, to mimic a real brain circuit with low-energy consumption, parallel processing and so on, we should start from hardware?! (not start from program).