What would you do if you could record the spiking pattern and location of every single neuron in your brain?
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M$6 Answers
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M$Unless you have another idea?
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M$
Studying projects like the ones I listed will provide you a lot of practical information about modeling the brain, since that is what they have done.
Most of the leading edge computational approaches to simulating significant portions of the brain, at least the type I mentioned, actually use finer-grained mechanisms than something like Granger causality since it seems most of those projects are calculating interactions between pulses of individual synapses rather than modeling the overall information flow. They might use a model along the lines of Granger to try to verify that their simulation is behaving like a real brain.
If you actually find a place on the internet were you can have a Q&A like this or even any kind of forum or other discussion with scientists in their areas of expertise then please post it on here. I don't think there are any places where groups of specialists in difference fields actually come together (as is the premise for Mahalo Answers, although not so much large numbers of actual scientists).
I assume that you can, however, find forums that specialize in neuroscience or whatever particular area is most applicable for you.
So what do you think? Do those projects demonstrate that you can create a functioning network? Or did you mean something else?
Also, I'm curious to know what sort of answer you expected when you asked this, if it wasn't the type I gave.
I'm sure there are lots of problems to solve before we would actually be able to do a realistic simulation of the human brain but I think I have read of a few examples of where they are in fact piecing multi-unit electrophysiology data together into functioning networks.
Here are a few:
Large Scale Simulation of Mammalian Thalamocortical Systems
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0712231105v1.pdf?ck=nck
CCortex, a massive spiking neural network simulation of the human cortex and peripheral systems
http://www.corticaldb.com/ccortex.asp?id=1
IBM's rat brain neocortical column simulation
http://seedmagazine.com/news/2008/03/out_of_the_blue.php
well, the Izhikevich & Edelman reference is good but I'm already aware that there are various modeling projects going on. I guess I'm looking for a description of one of them and an argument for why it's the best one. alternatively, some thoughts on which bits of information about one's own brain might be most interesting would be welcome (e.g. aspects of the behavior of one's monoamine neurons in various situations)
Looks like someone thought this was unhelpful.. whoever that was can you help me understand what it was about my response that was inadequate?
As far as which is the best one that is a different question. As far as a description you can click the links and scan for less than 20 seconds to find a summary paragraph (which you have done already I assume).
Which bits or aspects of monoamine neurons is also not what you asked and not as interesting as simulating the behavior of entire functioning networks as I supposed (which would enabled you to observe any specific aspect).
My understanding is that most computational neuroscience focuses on detailing rather specific aspects of brain/neural function and I assume this is because most researchers have a similar perspective as yours which is apparently that creating functioning networks is impossible and that only small features are worthy research targets.
I think that at this point it should be quite apparent that there is no cache of neuroscientists waiting to come out and vote on which is their favorite neurotransmitter/neuron type they would like to investigate with your data.
Also, if you were aware of these projects then why did you incorrectly state "piecing multi-unit electrophysiology data together into a functioning network is a massive, unsolved problem in neuroscience"? Surely those projects demonstrate that it is not fair to characterize the problem as unapproachable in such an unqualified way?
Piecing multi-unit electrophysiology data together into a functioning network is a massive, unsolved problem in neuroscience. Explain what solutions you would apply or suggest another use for the data. Just saying you'd like to be able to upload doesn't mean much.
I never said modeling the entire brain is "unapproachable" but I was looking for how to approach the many obstacles to such modeling (e.g. do you use Granger causality to determine functional connectivity?). since i wouldn't know which modeling method to choose, the first thing I would do with the data is study the behavior of my monoamine neurons: they're exceptionally important and their number and spiking patterns would be interesting even without modeling.
I'd ask:
1) What can we learn about how memory works? (And can you implant a few foreign languages while we're at it?)
2) What pain treatments are most effective (I know someone with chronic pain and apparently it's under-researched)
3) How do people make decisions? What mental/neurological questions are involved? This could have many applications.
4) Who is going to have access to all this information about my brain?
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
It could shed even more light on whether free will truly exists as well. Fascinating stuff.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$