Biomedical Informatics and Technology

Computer Networks and Telecommunications

The course’s aim is to introduce students to the basic biology of the neocortex and present its functional network architecture. To better illustrate the main issues, the course will focus on the primary visual cortex of the mouse. In the first part of the course, it will overview the principles of brain organization, neurophysiology and biophysics of excitable cells, synaptic transmission, network anatomy and physiology and canonical circuits in mouse neocortex. It will then focus on the multi-neuronal computations. The second part will present graph-theoretical and statistical analysis tools for analyzing  functional networks. In the third part of thecourse, experimental methods for probing circuit function using 2 photo imaging, optogenetics, patch clamping in vivo, in vitro will be discussed. An important part of the course, it will be the project identification, discussion, and implementation. During the last week, the students will present their project.