CRCNS Collaborative Research: How is Information Coded in Turtle Visual Cortex

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant Number: EIA 0217884
Period 2002- 2005
Amount $181,274
PI: Kay A. Robbins Web
Co-PI: David M. Senseman Web

Overview

This project focuses on the development of powerful visualization tools and techniques for correlating cellular properties of individual neurons with the dynamics of cortical waves. These tools, which are incorporated into a web-based viewing platform, allow investigators to study detailed relationships between variables. For example, scientists are able to view the response voltage and current due to Gaba A inhibition side-by-side in order to explore the relationship between excitation and inhibition in the generation of the wave. The tools allow side-by-side comparison of responses for different models as well as with experimental measurements from voltage-sensitive dye imaging. In addition to viewing population behavior, the tools can display traces from individual neurons, as well as global visual characterizations such as the KL decomposition.

The tools are written in Java so that they can be run through an Internet browser as well as from the desktop. Investigators can place the tools on their web pages to allow open exploration of their data by the general public. The structure for the input data for the viewing platform is specified using XML, allowing the tool to be used to view datasets from other neural systems.

A key aspect of the overall project is the close working relationship of collaborators from three disciplines. In periodic group meetings, the investigators and their students use the tools to examine and to interpret the wave dynamics. The active participation of the tool developers allows them to improve the usability of their tools. Many visualization tools are, in fact, used only for communication of results after the work is done. These tools are designed for exploration of a problem whose dynamics are too complex to understand without them.

Student participants

Kevin Allen (undergraduate)
Robert Baltimore (graduate)
Igor Grinshpan (graduate)
Mark Robinson (graduate)
Zheng Zhi (graduate)

Applications:

Distributed neural processing Web
Davis data viewing system Web
Waves Web

Downloads

For information on downloading Davis, please contact Kay Robbins (mailto: krobbins@cs.utsa.edu)

Publications

Synchronized views for exploring populations of neurons
K. A. Robbins, I. Grinshpan, K. Allen and D. M. Senseman (2004)
Data Visualization and Analysis '2004, accepted.

Extracting wave structure from experimental data I:
Synthetic waves and simplified models
K. A. Robbins, D. M. Senseman (preprint)

Extracting wave structure from experimental data II:
Application to responses in turtle visual cortex
K. A. Robbins, D. M. Senseman (preprint)

Abstracts and Presentations

Exploring behavior of neuronal populations with Davis
K. A. Robbins I. Grinshpan, K. Allen and D. M. Senseman
Soc. For Neuroscience Abstracts 2003.

Dynamical systems analysis of propagating waves in turtle visual cortex
P. Ulinski, B. Ghosh, K. A. Robbins and D. M. Senseman
2003 SIAM Conf. on Applications of Dynamical Systems (DS03), Snowbird, UT.

Extraction of wave structure from biological data
K. A. Robbins and D. M. Senseman
2003 SIAM Conf. on Applications of Dynamical Systems (DS03), Snowbird, UT.

Exploring behavior of neuronal populations with Davis
K. A. Robbins I. Grinshpan, K. Allen and D. M. Senseman
2003 RCMI Spring Symp., Abstract 1021, San Antonio, TX.

Visualizing neuronal models for exploration
I. Grinshpan and K. A. Robbins
GUM'2002, San Antonio TX, 2002.

Comparison of cerebellar activation by afferent and direct electrical stimulation
using high-speed VSD imaging
M. Ariel, H. Lu, K. A. Robbins, J. M. Bower and D. M. Senseman
Soc. for Neuroscience Abstracts, (2002) 28:360.2.

Collaborators from Other Institutions

Philip Ulinski, University of Chicago Web
Bijoy Ghosh, Washington University St. Louis Web