So, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, especially when it comes to people who are learning tons of skills. I’m starting to feel like there’s something really interesting happening in how the brain processes all kinds of stimuli. Like, we know the brain encodes everything, every sight, sound, touch, etc. into electrical signals based on frequency and spatial patterns... so i had this idea: what if the brain doesn’t just stop at encoding? What if it starts grouping similar types of sensory data into the same basic sets ?

For instance, take playing a musical instrument, typing on a keyboard, and even doing Morse code. These activities might seem totally different on the surface, but, When you break them down, they’re not so different. The physical act of pressing keys or strings could be processed by overlapping neural circuits. Maybe the brain sees these actions as "close enough" that it uses some of the same neurons for both tasks. And then, for rhythm recognition whether it's hearing beats in music or decoding the timing of dots and dashes in Morse code it seems like those rhythms get bundled together too.

Also, Even the fine motor skills involved in typing or tapping out Morse code share similarities. You're moving your fingers quickly and precisely in both cases. So, it wouldn't surprise me if the brain has a few neurons firing off for both tasks because of that shared movement pattern. It's almost like the brain, decides when its learning a new skill that since activity a and activity b are using the same neurons, just combine them together.

Just to expand on that a little. Imagine someone with strong sense of rhythm (who did music for long enough), maybe someone who plays an instrument or works with Morse code and they decide to learn a tonal language like Mandarin. since tonal languages rely heavily on pitch and intonation to distinguish meaning, I think having well-developed "rhythm neurons" could give them a leg up. They’d already have experience recognizing subtle changes in sound patterns, which might make it easier for them to pick up on the nuances of tones in Chinese. They might notice rhythms in speech that others miss, helping them differentiate between words more effectively.

Of course, this is all just me rambling about what i learned and a little bit of connection, I don’t have any hard data to back it up yet.
but If true, it suggests that learning one skill could open doors to mastering others in ways we never expected.

Feel free to critique or build on that!

(Sorry for the yapping)

Hello I am interested in learning how to build mean field models and SNN's and I am starting out in the field. If someone wants to help me a bit with a little bit of mentoring or a tutorial in discord I would appreciate it ! :) In exchange I can help with anything I am able to. I know a lot about neuroscience just not much of the computational part

I go to Florida State University, is there anything that I'm missing that I should take?

Theres one course called computational probabilistic modeling that's not on there, which I plan to take eventually.

I want to start doing research, but it's been hard to get into a lab.... there are some professors that seem to do research related to my interests but I don't know how I could join their lab if I don't understand the complex stuff

Here are some links to course descriptions

• for courses with 'STA' prefix Undergraduate Course List | Department of Statistics
• with the 'ISC' prefix Courses - FSUSciComp

These are my planned courses:

https://preview.redd.it/3e4fxe1k93ge1.png?width=1066&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d3f79f1445fbc584c6d05a1eb14b8c6cb655a1f

I did a thing last week:

Here is Python package for brain effective connectivity:

https://pypi.org/project/effconnpy/

you can install it with "pip install effconnpy", or via git: https://github.com/alecrimi/effconnp

https://preview.redd.it/98b8dpygekfe1.png?width=1134&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fc7aff796890adc8200b1dddedbbbb3f6b7166f

It assumes you have preprocessed the fMRI data with fMRIprep or something else and extracted the time series according to an atlas.

The result is a brain effective connectivity matrix. The idea is to build something consistent more people as possible can agree. I tested it on fMRI series, I didn't have time to check fro EEG or something else.

The implemented methods include:

- Bivariate Granger Causality, Transfer Entropy, and Convergent Cross Mapping

- Dynamic Bayesian Network, Structural Equation Modeling, DoWhy Causal Discovery, and Dynamic Causal Modeling (SPM free :-) )

- Multivariate Granger Causality as in Barnett & Seth 2014, Multivariate Convergent Cross-Mapping (CCM) as in Nithya & Tangirala 2019, multivariate transfer entropy as in Duan et al. 2022

Please send feedback, bugs, errors, and suggestions for improvements as github issues.

Enjoy

Best,

Alex

Hi! This is actually my very first post on Reddit.

I just graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Human Anatomy, and in my country, before you can do anything else with your life after graduation as long as it's in the country, you must serve in this pseudo-military thing (because the only part of the service that's even remotely military lasts for 3 weeks and the remainder of the time is for community service) for one year.

I'm yet to be called up so for the past couple of months I've been confused as to the next step to take. I stumbled on computational neuroscience once when browsing for scholarships for a master's degree and I decided to look into it more. I have some programming skills because I was in a one year tech BootCamp where we learned C,Python and JavaScript, and I have a couple of projects on my GitHub. I'm fascinated somewhat with the field as I took neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neuropharmacology classes back at school.

Now to my questions:

1. Do you think I'd have to move to Europe or America for this field (I'm African living in Africa)? Please any Africans living in Africa could help me too. I'm Nigerian by the way.It;s

2. I wanted to do some self-study ultra learning style (from the Scott Young book which I recently read) while I wait for my call-up. I plan to find some university curriculum and just follow the topics and take the problem sets just like Scott did. Which would you advice me to take?

3. Pardon me for asking (as maybe you would have expected me to look this up) but is academia the only place I can function? Or is it where I'm most likely to end up?

4. Finally, I don't know if you have human anatomy degrees as a standalone degree, but what can I do if this fails?

Thanks for your time. I really appreciate it.

Hello everyone, I'm a second year doctoral student. Recently I presented my computational model for epilepsy in a conference about epilepsy. One of the esteemed professors present there asked me " What was the value in similating the brain" Saying " it will help us understand the dynamics and have a perfective model for possible treatments" didn't please him at all since the brain is too complicated and could never be simulated...

So I am asking what is the value in doing simulation?

I'm feeling a bit discouraged and lost.

Hi guys, I'm a neuroscience major from México, and I'm really lost on which masters i should apply to. I feel a little overwhelmed because i wish to start studying my masters this winter, and must of the programs i find in neuroscience cover things i already studied in my bachelor's (not that i'm an expert, but I'd love to focus my studies in the areas that i'm lacking such as programing). Do y'all recommend studing a master's in computer science? a master's that is literally computational neuroscience or what should i do? :) I have programming knowledge, but like in Python and not the fundamentals? more like what works for machine learning. Thank youuu so much for reading and helping me!!

Any suggestions?

I’m planning to major in applied math and either minor in CS or neuro in order to contribute to BCIs in the distant future, as that seems to be where more impactful comp neuro work is being done.

My first question would be: do you agree with that statement?

I’ve studied Trappenberg’s Fundamentals of Comp Neuro and now aim to focus in on a subtopic more relevant to BCIs or spike train processing in general.

My second question would be: what materials would be best to study? What papers might be informative to replicate?

After completing some pre-requisite courses pertaining to physics, computer science and neuroscience, I am interesting in reading some content regarding computational neuroscience.

I am looking for any leads or sources of book, papers, or publication sources that I can start reading on a daily basis to familiarize myself with.

Hi guys, I have a dual degree MSc Physics + B.E. Computer Science from a TIER1 private college in India. My graduating GPA was 8.05/10 (cumulative grade of both disciplines)

I have been working as a Software developer at Adobe India for 2.5 years now. My job pays quite well but I have always had a wish to get into a research career. I had tried when I was a fresh graduate but things didn't work out.

I have always been interested in Cognition and Neuroscience. I am thinking of applying for Computational Neuroscience Masters now. I am specifically interested in the Computational Neuroscience Master's course at BCCN. I know it is extremely competitive with only 15 seats but I'd like to try my luck. I believe my study and work background fits well. While above course is my top priority, here is a comprehensive list of courses I have shortlisted -

1. Master's in Computational Neuroscience - BCCN
2. Computational Neuroscience MSc - TU Berlin
3. MSc. Artificial Intelligence : Cognitive Computing - Radboud University
4. MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience (Research) - Radboud University
5. Computational Neuroscience Master - Universetat Tübingen
6. MSc. Neuro Cognitive Psychology - LMU
7. MSc. Neurosciences, Computational Neuroscience track - LMU
8. Computational Science and Engineering - TU Munich (covers the Math parts of Comp Neuro)

How would you guys rate my profile for getting into Computational Neuroscience field? This will be a pivot in my career trajectory so I really need some guidance here.

I'm also curious if things don't click while exploring my interest, can I fall back to software dev/Data Science/ML Research type of job after receiving Comp Neuro training?

PS : I am more inclined towards German universities as they're free. Also, I have relatively better grades in Math subjects.

TLDR : Software Developer wanting to pursue Comp Neuro Msc. Prev qualification:BE CS + MSc Physics, 8.05/10 GPA. Software dev experience 2.5 years. Please rate my profile.

Hello everyone!

I'm a Biology and Computer Science double major in the last years of my undergrad in the US. Most of my background is in bench neurobiology and physiology, and on the CS side, applications in medical imaging. I'm not sure where to start to get a handle on the mathematical side of computational neuroscience, as I've only taken math up to multivariable calc/linear algebra/discrete math.

I'll be taking a few years between undergrad and PhD applications to do research and take courses, but I'm having a lot of difficulty identifying which courses will give me the foundational knowledge I need to be able to understand papers in the computational/mathematical neuroscience field. Where would you all recommend I start?

Hello everyone, I know this question has probably been asked a million times and I apologize for that.

I am a computer science student and lately I have discovered a real passion for biology, more specifically neuroscience. My question is: knowing that my computer science background provides me with solid skills in linear algebra/probability & statistics, basically a foundation in mathematics in addition to computer science, can I pursue a PhD in computational neuroscience? And if it's possible, I would like to know if anyone has a similar background to mine and has succeeded in completing a PhD in comp neuro

Sorry again if this question has been asked several times.

Hi, I am a junior in high school wanting to study computational neuroscience in the future. How should I work towards this path of study in college? Should I major in Comp Sci and minor in neuroscience? Should I double major? Are there any specific universities that have a developed or good program for this? All I understand is that it is not its own major but a combined field of study. If you can't tell I am not very educated and a little intimidated by the college decision and application process, and would appreciate some guidance. Thanks for your help!

Hello everyone! My name is Amanda Sisti, and I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's in Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. For an assignment in one of my courses, I am required to interview someone working in the field I want to pursue professionally. I am looking for PhD students in neuroscience who would be willing to answer some career-related questions. The interview can be conducted via text message or an online meeting, whichever is more convenient for you.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!

Happy Holidays everyone.

I have a question regarding optimal undergrad degrees to prepare for a PhD in comp neuro. I am in the fortunate position where I can attempt to acquire two degrees during my time in undergrad. My first degree will be in neuroscience with a concentration in comp/theoretical neuro. For my second degree, however, I am free to choose just about anything. I have narrowed down the decision to mathematics and data science. I am very interested in the more math-heavy/purely theoretical side of this field, but I understand that data science may be more applicable in general. Any help is appreciated.

Golearn math you dumb shits

I won’t disclose where I am academically, but I’ve been very passionate about pursuing comp neuro recently. The more I dive into it, however, the more it seems that this field (as it stands now) produces much less valuable knowledge than other fields.

I used to encourage myself to continue to study it due to its potential in the far future, but, again, it seems more and more that that future is extremely far away.

That being said, I posted this to ask you guys a question—how do you reconcile how little of an impact computational neuroscience currently has with the effort you put into it? Do you believe you’re building on something that will, eventually, have an impact?

I am currently a second year non-traditional student aspiring to pursue researching within computational neuroscience. My understanding of computational neuroscience is described as a study that utilizes principles from neuroscience, physics, computer science, and mathematics to model neural systems and behaviors.

After getting many of my pre-requisite courses completed, I decided to pursue this field because I was am curious about how the brain processes sensory input and how thoughts and emotions are developed on a molecular level.

I was also interested in pursuing machine learning engineering - AI programming.

I am naturally good at mathematics and physics during my time in high school and have grown up taking apart computers and writing random (but useful) programs (most recent project was to scrape images from a website running on html, I know this is far too simple and nowhere near as complex as to what I need to learn, but I figured it was a good starting point to gauge my interest).

That being said, would this degree - requirements listed here: https://writeurl.com/Cr9G07M6wE8YmDXs

Hello!

Is anyone familiar with the work of Nikola Kasabov at AUT on Spiking Neural Networks? e.g. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neunet.2021.09.013

I study psychology with a big interest in computational methods and neuroimaging, and find this technique very intruiging, especially its explainability and visualization abilities in some parts!

I am a bit unsure whether or not this sounds 'too good to be true', so to speak, and wanted to hear if there are any comments regarding this, or if someone has constructive criticism to offer!

I will appreciate any comments, but one big point for me is whether SNNs are really standing out so much when it comes to "spatio-temporal brain data", and whether other (more traditional?) methods of machine learning really cannot do that well?

Thank you so much for any insights or comments in advance!

Hey everyone!

I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science major in ai and I'm really interested in branching out into some exciting areas, specifically electronics/IoT, neuroscience, and AI/ML. My plan is to take the first two as electives alongside my core AI units.

I’m wondering if it’s possible to merge these areas into a career, especially if I’m not super into research fields. I’m more interested in applied work and real-world projects. Do you think it’s feasible to combine neuroscience and AI/ML with electronics/IoT for a career in tech? Are there specific industries or job roles that could tie all these areas together?

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions would be really helpful!

Thanks in advance!

The Call for the International Neuroscience Doctoral Program (INDP) at Champalimaud Foundation (CF) is open for applications.

Deadline for application: Jan 31, 2025

https://fchampalimaud.org/champalimaud-research/education/indp

Top evaluated candidates will receive an offer to participate in the PhD programme, which nominally comprises an initial year of classes and lab rotations followed by research in the selected laboratories.

We’re seeking talented students from all over the world, and from a range of different backgrounds – from life sciences to physics, from mathematics to computer science – to work at the frontiers of knowledge in a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative environment. English is the main language.

Hello guys, I’m here to consult your wisdom and your brutal honesty. I’m graduating with a 2.1 in philosophy from a russell group uni in may. However, perhaps too late, I’ve decided I want to switch to comp neuro to truly understand how the brain works. I’m hoping to do an AI conversion at Strathclyde and from there go to Edinburgh with the ultimate goal of a PhD. This is doesn’t have to be a linear progression. A goal of mine would be a research position in somewhere like deepmind (for example). I thrive on independent research and learning, I’m confident I can make this transition but I need some advice. How do I get there from where I am now? What do I need to learn? What actionable steps can I take? Are there other avenues available to me? Etc. Again, I’m not fragile, be as brutally honest as you need to be. Thank you, From a young man trying to make it

Hi, I am a post grad in data analytics and have done my undergrad in physics. I am very passionate about neuroscience and is thinking of doing a phd in computational neurosci since i have a coding background from my masters. how do you think i should prepare for the phd? would i be able to get into a phd without any prior experience of working in the labs? what all should i learn beforehand (in ml as well as neurosci)? or maybe what projects should i do to get into an acclaimed institute?

I am a medical student and I have data for millions of patients. How to use it to make projects and papers by RL ? I intend to apply for PhD next year.