Mobilizing the base of neuroscience data: the case of neuronal morphologies.
Despite the explosive growth of bioinformatics, data sharing has not yet become routine in neuroscience, possibly because of several broad-spanning issues, from data heterogeneity to privacy regulations. We present the case of neuronal morphology as an ideal example of shareable data. Drawing from recent experience, we argue that the tremendous research potential of existing (and largely unused) digital reconstructions should diffuse any reticence to sharing this type of data.
Ascoli
Giorgio A
GA
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study and the Psychology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA. ascoli@gmu.edu
D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted