23 Problems in Systems Neuroscience

Edited by J. Leo van Hemmen and Terrence J. Sejnowski

Computational Neuroscience Series

The complexity of the brain and the protean nature of behavior remain the most elusive area of science, but also the most important. van Hemmen and Sejnowski invited 23 experts from the many areas--from evolution to qualia--of systems neuroscience to formulate one problem each. Although each chapter was written independently and can be read separately, together they provide a useful roadmap to the field of systems neuroscience and will serve as a source of inspirations for future explorers of the brain.

23 Problems in Systems Neuroscience

Edited by J. Leo van Hemmen and Terrence J. Sejnowski

Computational Neuroscience Series

Description

The complexity of the brain and the protean nature of behavior remain the most elusive area of science, but also the most important. van Hemmen and Sejnowski invited 23 experts from the many areas--from evolution to qualia--of systems neuroscience to formulate one problem each. Although each chapter was written independently and can be read separately, together they provide a useful roadmap to the field of systems neuroscience and will serve as a source of inspirations for future explorers of the brain.

23 Problems in Systems Neuroscience

Edited by J. Leo van Hemmen and Terrence J. Sejnowski

Computational Neuroscience Series

Preface J. Leo van Hemmen and Terrence J. Sejnowski
Section 1. How have brains evolved?
1. Shall we ever understand the fly's brain?, Gilles Laurent
2. Can we understand the action of brain in natural environments?, Hermann Wagner and Bernhard Gaese
3. Hemisphere dominance of brain function-which functions are lateralized and why?, Gunther Ehr
Section 2. How is the cerebral cortex organized?
4. What is the function of the thalamus?, S. Murray Sherman
5. What is a neuronal map, how does it arise, and what is it good for?, J. Leo van Hemmen
6. What is the role of top-down connections?, Jean Bullier
Section 3. How do neurons interact?
7. How fast is neuronal signal transmission?, Wulfram Gerstner
8. What is the origin and functional properties of irregular activity?, Dr. Carl van Vreeswi
9. Are single cortical neurons independent or are they obedient members of a huge orchestra?, Amiram Grinvald, Tal Kenet, Amos Arieli, and Misha Tsodyks
10. What is the other 85% of V1 doing?, Bruno A. Olshausen and David J. Field
Section 4. What can brains compute?
11. What is the formal computation in early vision?, Steven W. Zuck
12. Are neurons adapted for specific computations?, Catherine Carr, D. Soares, S. Parameshwaran, S. Kalluri, J. Simon, and T. Perney
13. How can neural systems compute in the time domain, Andreas V.M. Herz
14. How common are neural codes?, David McAlpine and Alan R. Palmer
15. How does the hearing system perform auditory scene analysis?, Georg Klump
16. How does our visual system achieve shift and size invariance?, Laurenz Wiskott
Section 5.
17. What is reflected in sensory neocortical activity: External stimuli or what the cortex does with them?, Henning Scheich, Frank W. Ohl, Holger Schulze, Andreas Hess, and Andre Brechmann
18. To what extent does perception depend upon action?, Giacomo Rizzolatti and Vittorio Gallese
19. What are the projective fields of cortical neurons?, Terrence J. Sejnowski
20. To what extent is the brain reconfigurable?, John Reynolds
21. Where are the switches on this thing?, Laurence Abbott
22. Do qualia, metaphor, language, and abstract thought emerge from synesthesia, V.S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard
23. What are the neural correlates of consciousness?, Francis Crick and Christof Koch

23 Problems in Systems Neuroscience

Edited by J. Leo van Hemmen and Terrence J. Sejnowski

Computational Neuroscience Series

Reviews and Awards

"Neuroscience has a rather briefer history than mathematics, but Leo van Hemmen and Terry Sejnowski felt that it was nonetheless mature enough for them to organize a meeting on Problems in Neuroscience a century after Hilberts address. This printed version of their meeting, 23 Problems in Systems Neuroscience, has taken six years to arrive, but it is not too late and certainly not too little. In the place of one Hilbert are 40 problem-posers who have collectively contributed the 23 chapters, grouped into sections that sum up 5 current concerns: How have brains evolved? How is cerebral cortex organized? How do neurons interact? What can brains compute? How are cognitive systems organized? With such an attractive list of topics, this book is sure to find a wide audience at every level of interest, from lay readers to students and academics."--Kevan A.C. Martin, Nature

"Forty authors contribute twenty-three chapters in this book. Divided into five sections, this book reflects the interaction between genetics and morphology, function, and a possible influence in behavior. The difficulty of the topic is explained in accessible manner by leading world authorities. The illustrations are self-explanatory and the references, up-to-date. In my view, there are hardly any shortcomings in the book." --Celso Agner, MD, MSc(Albany Medical Center), Doody's

"The chapters read well, are well illustrated, and have useful reference sections. Even if your favorite area of neurosceince is not covered, you will find plenty to interest you in this volume."--Physiology News