Course details

8.3609

What do single neurons compute?

 S
SS 2023 to be announced NN OFFLINE
2h/wk
4 ECTS 		B.Sc modules:
CS-BWP-NI - Neuroinformatics
KOGW-WPM-NI - Neuroinformatics
M.Sc modules:
CC-MWP-NI - Neuroinformatics
CS-MWP-NI - Neuroinformatics

The better our tools to investigate the biophysical reality of brain circuits, the more complex the machinery involved in computations of even single neurons appears. However, to understand and explain the function of neural circuits, we need tangible, generalized models that make simplifying assumptions about implementation details. In this seminar, we will explore the push-and-pull between simple explanatory models, detailed biophysical accounts and the reality of physiological experimentation. We will cover a range of perspectives from the computational theory of neurons and neural networks to dynamical models of neuronal firing and a variety of experimental approaches investigating the biological reality of the brain. To tie the interdisciplinary breadth hidden underneath the question “What do single neurons compute?” together, we will arrange sessions by specific, narrower questions and in loose, historic order of discovery. By focussing on the role single neurons may play, we will be able to put current and future research on both the brain and artificial neural networks into context. The seminar supplements some of the ideas presented in the course “Neurodynamics” but can also be taken individually. It is intended for Bachelor students in their third term and Master students.