Conference: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference on Computational and Systems Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, March 2004

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spg Hbr NY

Investigators

Abstract

It has long been recognized that the fundamental questions of neuroscience require a multidisciplinary scientific approach in order to be properly addressed. In particular, systems neuroscience, which deals with information processing and systems of large numbers of neurons, has been recognized as requiring a computational and mathematical component. For example, questions such as: "how does the nervous system represent the world around us?" and "what is the relationship between neural activity and behavior? " involve postulating and testing hypotheses about the links between very high dimensional spaces: the space of neural activity, and the world. Computational methods and models suited to high dimensions have grown increasingly common in the analysis, interpretation, and design of neurophysiological experiments. Many of the methods and concepts that have been developed are not tied to specific sensory modalities or systems, but are ideas that address fundamental aspects of neuroscience, and can be applied to a wide range of problems. However, perhaps in part because of its multidisciplinary nature and the breath of its scope, computational and systems neuroscience has not yet emerged as a distinct community. That is, researchers asking similar questions and using complementary approaches, are often unaware of the related work of other researchers, and therefore cannot benefit from their insights and advances. It is proposed to host the first computational and systems neuroscience (Cosyne) meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in March, 2004. The emphasis of Cosyne will be on combining computational experimental approaches, highlighting concepts that carry across systems and modalities. This meeting will bring together a critical mass of scientists with shared interest and perspectives, including both experimental systems neuroscientists who are seeking to benefit from computational approaches, and theorists who are working on problems of direct interest to experimental systems neuroscientists. This meeting is intended to have a particularly strong impact on graduate students and postdoctoral associates, since it may change the perspectives within which they do their work.