ELEN E4011 Computational Neuroscience I: Circuits in the Brain

Course Benefits

Provides a straighforward theoretical foundation to computational neuroscience.
Focuses on the intuitive understanding of information representation and neural coding.
Enables the further exploration of key concepts in theoretical neuroscience.

Professor Lazar

Interests in Computational Neuroscience: In Silico: Time Encoding and Information Representation in Sensory Systems, Spike Processing and Computation in the Cortex. In Vivo: Olfactory System of the Drosophila Melanogaster.
Further information about the instructor is available under URL: http://comet.columbia.edu/~aurel.

Applicable Degree Programs

Most courses 4000-level and above can be credited to all degree programs. All courses are subject to advisor approval.

Lecturer

Office hours:	Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, EST, Room 819 CEPSR
Email addresses:	aurel "at" ee.columbia.edu
Class Web Site:	Offered by the COMET Group
Mailing list:
Grader:	Robert J. Turetsky

Grader Email address:	rob "at" ee.columbia.edu

Recitation:

Day and time:

Fridays, 9:10 - 11:00 AM

Class location:

253 S.W. Mudd (Engineering Terrace)

Credits for course:

3 points

Prerequisites:

ELEN E3202 (Signals and Systems I) and MATLAB or the instructor's approval.

Description:

Modeling Biological Neurons, The Hudgkin-Huxley Neuron, Integrate-and-Fire and other Spiking Neuron Models, Network Models, Representation and the Neural Code, Fast Algorithms for Stimulus Recovery, Elements of Information Theory and Machine Learning, Synaptic Plasticity and Learning.

Required text(s):

Peter M. Trappenberg, Fundamentals of Computational Neuroscience, Oxford University Press, 2002.

Reference text(s):

Peter Dayan and L.F. Abbott, Theoretical Neuroscience, The MIT Press, 2001.

W. Gerstner and W. Kistler, Spiking Neuron Models Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, 2002.

Reference (cont'd):

F.M. Rieke, D. Warland, R. de Ruyter van Steveninck, W. Bialek, Spikes: Exploring the Neural Code, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1997.

Hugh R. Wilson, Spikes, Decisions and Actions, Oxford University Press, 1999.

Homework(s):

4, mostly writting or adapting simple Matlab code.

Paper(s):

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Project(s):

2 major projects.

Midterm exam:

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Final exam:

Take Home Exam is due December 8, 2004, at 12 noon. Presentation on Friday, December 10, 2004.

Grading:

1/6 homework, 1/3 projects, 1/2 final.

Hardware requirements:

Laptop for demos.

Software requirements:

Matlab (student version).

Homework submission:

Fridays at noon

Overview Outline Assignments Project