Computational Neuroscience Cortical Dynamics

This book presents thoroughly revised tutorial papers based on lectures given by leading researchers at the 8th International Summer School on Neural Networks in Erice, Italy, in October/November 2003. The eight tutorial papers presented provide competent coverage of the field of cortical dynamics, consolidating recent theoretical and experimental results on the processing, transmission, and imprinting of information in the brain as well as on important functions of the cortical area, such as cortical rhythms, cortical neural plasticity, and their structural basis and functional significance. The book is divided in two topical sections on fundamentals of cortical dynamics and mathematical models of cortical dynamics.

Written from the physicist’s perspective, this book introduces computational neuroscience with in-depth contributions by system neuroscientists. The authors set forth a conceptual model for complex networks of neurons that incorporates important features of the brain. The computational implementation on supercomputers, discussed in detail, enables you to adapt the algorithm for your own research. Worked-out examples of applications are provided.

The thirty original contributions in this book provide a working definition of"computational neuroscience" as the area in which problems lie simultaneously within computerscience and neuroscience. They review this emerging field in historical and philosophical overviewsand in stimulating summaries of recent results. Leading researchers address the structure of thebrain and the computational problems associated with describing and understanding this structure atthe synaptic, neural, map, and system levels.The overview chapters discuss the early days of thefield, provide a philosophical analysis of the problems associated with confusion between brainmetaphor and brain theory, and take up the scope and structure of computationalneuroscience.Synaptic-level structure is addressed in chapters that relate the properties ofdendritic branches, spines, and synapses to the biophysics of computation and provide a connectionbetween real neuron architectures and neural network simulations.The network-level chapters take upthe preattentive perception of 3-D forms, oscillation in neural networks, the neurobiologicalsignificance of new learning models, and the analysis of neural assemblies and local learningrides.Map-level structure is explored in chapters on the bat echolocation system, cat orientationmaps, primate stereo vision cortical cognitive maps, dynamic remapping in primate visual cortex, andcomputer-aided reconstruction of topographic and columnar maps in primates.The system-level chaptersfocus on the oculomotor system VLSI models of early vision, schemas for high-level vision,goal-directed movements, modular learning, effects of applied electric current fields on corticalneural activity neuropsychological studies of brain and mind, and an information-theoretic view ofanalog representation in striate cortex.Eric L. Schwartz is Professor of Brain Research and ResearchProfessor of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York UniversityMedical Center. Computational Neuroscience is included in the System Development FoundationBenchmark Series.

Experimental and theoretical approaches to global brain dynamics that draw on the latest research in the field. The consideration of time or dynamics is fundamental for all aspects of mental activity—perception, cognition, and emotion—because the main feature of brain activity is the continuous change of the underlying brain states even in a constant environment. The application of nonlinear dynamics to the study of brain activity began to flourish in the 1990s when combined with empirical observations from modern morphological and physiological observations. This book offers perspectives on brain dynamics that draw on the latest advances in research in the field. It includes contributions from both theoreticians and experimentalists, offering an eclectic treatment of fundamental issues. Topics addressed range from experimental and computational approaches to transient brain dynamics to the free-energy principle as a global brain theory. The book concludes with a short but rigorous guide to modern nonlinear dynamics and their application to neural dynamics.

"The Computational Brain addresses a broad audience: neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers. It is written for both the expert and novice. A basic overview of neuroscience and computational theory is provided, followed by a study of some of the most recent and sophisticated modeling work in the context of relevant neurobiological research. Technical terms are clearly explained in the text, and definitions are provided in an extensive glossary. The appendix contains a précis of neurobiological techniques."--Jacket.

This book provides an essential overview of computational neuroscience. It addresses a broad range of aspects, from physiology to nonlinear dynamical approaches to understanding neural computation, and from the simulation of brain circuits to the development of engineering devices and platforms for neuromorphic computation. Written by leading experts in such diverse fields as neuroscience, physics, psychology, neural engineering, cognitive science and applied mathematics, the book reflects the remarkable advances that have been made in the field of computational neuroscience, an emerging discipline devoted to the study of brain functions in terms of the information-processing properties of the structures forming the nervous system. The contents build on the workshop “Nonlinear Dynamics in Computational Neuroscience: from Physics and Biology to ICT,” which was held in Torino, Italy in September 2015.

Biophysical modelling of brain activity has a long and illustrious history and has recently profited from technological advances that furnish neuroimaging data at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Neuronal modelling is a very active area of research, with applications ranging from the characterization of neurobiological and cognitive processes, to constructing artificial brains in silico and building brain-machine interface and neuroprosthetic devices. Biophysical modelling has always benefited from interdisciplinary interactions between different and seemingly distant fields; ranging from mathematics and engineering to linguistics and psychology. This Research Topic aims to promote such interactions by promoting papers that contribute to a deeper understanding of neural activity as measured by fMRI or electrophysiology. In general, mean field models of neural activity can be divided into two classes: neural mass and neural field models. The main difference between these classes is that field models prescribe how a quantity characterizing neural activity (such as average depolarization of a neural population) evolves over both space and time as opposed to mass models, which characterize activity over time only; by assuming that all neurons in a population are located at (approximately) the same point. This Research Topic focuses on both classes of models and considers several aspects and their relative merits that: span from synapses to the whole brain; comparisons of their predictions with EEG and MEG spectra of spontaneous brain activity; evoked responses, seizures, and fitting data - to infer brain states and map physiological parameters.