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Funded by the eScience
program of the
Research Council of Norway.
Duration: 2007-2012
Funding from Research Council of Norway:NOK 18 million
Project summary:
The project focuses on a central challenge in neuroscience today, namely
bridging the gap in understanding between microscopic (single nerve cells) and
macroscopic (systems-level) neuroscience. This is addressed by large-scale
application and development of a set of computational neuroscience methods and
multilevel models to facilitate direct comparison with various types of
experimental data, that is, electrical and optical recordings of brain tissue
slices and recordings with multicontact (laminar) electrodes in anesthetized
animals. The project involves a close interdisciplinary collaboration between
computational and experimental neuroscientists at the University of Oslo and
the Norwegian University of Life Sciences as well as international partners at
UCSD in California, RIKEN in Japan, and Honda Research Institute in
Germany.
In the project, experimentally validated models of single neurons and networks
of thousands of neurons will be constructed in a multilevel approach. Neuron
models at three levels of biological detail will be considered: biophysically
realistic compartmental models (class I), simplified spiking neurons (class
II), and firing-rate models (class III). Two particular neurobiological systems
will be studied: (i) the processing of sensory tactile stimuli in rat barrel
cortex, and (ii) the processing of visual stimuli in the thalamocortical system
of mammals.
The simulation tools NEURON and NEST will be used for class-I and
class-II neuron and network models, respectively. These tools will be developed
and adapted to facilitate the optimization of neuron (NEURON) and network
models (NEST) against experimental data or models at difference levels of
detail. Further, a user interface for NEST that allows for use by nonexpert
modellers and experimentalists will be developed.
The project will also establish a vibrant, internationally oriented
neuroinformatics environment in the Oslo region centered at UiO and UMB.
Computational Neuroscience Group, Dept. of Mathematical Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Department of Neurosciences and Radiology, University of California at San Diego
Computational Neuroscience Group, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan Honda Research Institute Europe, Offenbach, Germany
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