title: Inferring cortical function in the mouse visual system through large-scale systems neuroscience.
abstract: The scientific mission of the Project MindScope is to understand neocortex, the part of the mammalian brain that gives rise to perception, memory, intelligence, and consciousness. We seek to quantitatively evaluate the hypothesis that neocortex is a relatively homogeneous tissue, with smaller functional modules that perform a common computational function replicated across regions. We here focus on the mouse as a mammalian model organism with genetics, physiology, and behavior that can be readily studied and manipulated in the laboratory. We seek to describe the operation of cortical circuitry at the computational level by comprehensively cataloging and characterizing its cellular building blocks along with their dynamics and their cell type-specific connectivities. The project is also building large-scale experimental platforms (i.e., brain observatories) to record the activity of large populations of cortical neurons in behaving mice subject to visual stimuli. A primary goal is to understand the series of operations from visual input in the retina to behavior by observing and modeling the physical transformations of signals in the corticothalamic system. We here focus on the contribution that computer modeling and theory make to this long-term effort.
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103 MikeH@alleninstitute.org ChristofK@alleninstitute.org.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hawrylycz
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anastassiou
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arkhipov
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buice
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Gouwens
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gratiy
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Ramakrishnan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iyer
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Jung Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mihalas
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Catalin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mitelut
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Shawn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: R Clay
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teeter
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Saskia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103.
authors.forename: Hongkui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Project MindScope, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103 MikeH@alleninstitute.org ChristofK@alleninstitute.org.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000379:methods*; D013597:Systems Analysis; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: computation; neocortex; neural coding; simulation; visual system