[Comp-neuro] Neural Networks' Special Issue on "Cortical Microcircuits": ****SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS EXTENDED****

[Vassilis Cutsuridis]

Submission Deadline to Neural Networks' Special Issue on

======= Cortical Microcircuits ========
(formerly known as Neural models of Cortical microcircuits)

is now extended till February 15th, 2009

Guest Editors:
J.G. Taylor, T. Wennekers, B.P. Graham, I. Vida, V. Cutsuridis


Special issue of the Elsevier Journal of Neural Networks
http://helen.pion.ac.uk/microcircuits08/



= SCOPE =

To understand how perception, attention, action, learning and memory work, we
 need to gather data from multiple levels of complexity and from various
 brain states (normal and diseased) and integrate them at the brain-scale
 level. We need to identify the neuronal groups involved in these functions,
 their laminar distributions and their different types of neurons, draw
 detailed circuit diagrams, determine the forms of synaptic transmission and
 plasticity between different neurons and study the dynamics of the cortical
 microcircuits at the cellular and synaptic level that comprise these
 neuronal groups. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic accumulation of
 knowledge about the morphological, physiological and molecular
 characteristics, as well as the connectivity and synaptic properties of
 cortical neurons. Despite these advances, however, only limited insight was
 gained into the computational function of the neurons; in particular, the
 role of the various types of interneurons remains elusive. Mathematical and
 computational microcircuit models play an instrumental role in exploring
 microcircuit functions and facilitate the dissection the operations
 performed by diverse interneurons.

The goal of the special issue is to provide a snapshot and a resumé of the
 current state-of-the-art of the ongoing research avenues concerning cortical
 microcircuits with particular emphasis on the functional roles of the
 various inhibitory interneurons in information processing within normal and
 diseased behavioural and cognitive states. The emphasis will be on
 computational models that are tightly grounded on experimental data.



 = SPECIFIC AIMS =


- The interaction between the local micro circuit activity and global
 processing to achieve the desired overall processing functionality observed,
 say in perception and action,  attention, learning and memory 
- Microcircuit architectures: networks of principal and inhibitory inter-neurons 
within and between lamina, columns, mini-columns, modules, areas and/or across
 areas in the brain and their functional roles in the network. 
    -- Neo-cortex
    -- Hippocampus
    -- Sensory and Motor Systems
- Cross-comparison of architectures from different brain areas
- Identified computations performed by each type of neuron in a network
- Identified modes of operation of a neuronal type and how they are related
 potentially to behaviour and cognition 
- What synaptic plasticity rules are used


= SUBMISSIONS =

New *extended* submission deadline: February 15th, 2009

Electronic submissions to the "Cortical Microcircuits" special issue
can be found under http://ees.elsevier.com/neunet/

Please indicate in your cover letter that your article is for the special
 issue "Cortical Microcircuits"


Regards,
Vassilis

--
Dr. Vassilis Cutsuridis
Dept of Computing Science & Math
University of Stirling
Stirling
FK9 4LA
U.K.

Phone: +44 1786 467422
Fax: +44 1786 464551
Email: vcu at cs.stir.ac.uk
Web: http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/~vcu/
 
-- 
Academic Excellence at the Heart of Scotland.
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, 
 number SC 011159.

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