SimLab Neuroscience’s Workshop on Generative Connectomics and Plasticity at (O)CNS 2019
July 16-17, 2019
CNS 2019 meeting in Barcelona, Spain
The generation and evolution of connectivity in simulations has only recently become computationally tractable, and is the focus of several research programs. To that event, SimLab Neuroscience organized a workshop on generative connectomics and plasticity as part of the CNS 2019 meeting in Barcelona, Spain, which took place July 16-17, 2019. During this workshop, current and future research in simulation and modelling of generative connectomics and structural plasticity was discussed from the perspectives of neural development and structural plasticity in biological neural networks and the generation of connectivity for biological and artificial neural networks.
The first two sessions covered state-of-the-art research in simulation and modelling of generative connectomics and structural plasticity, followed by a third parallel session that covered practical and future applications. The practical applications session focused on the design and implementation of a stand-alone structural plasticity module, compatible with both simulators and emulators. Special focus was given to the requirements of neuromorphic hardware for the dynamic generation of connectivity and how algorithms already tested in simulations can be used to address them. The session for future applications focused on exposing the different perspectives from experimentalists, modelers and computer scientists about connectomics, in order to define new potential collaborations. Participants in this workshop also discussed the preparation of a perspectives and architecture paper on future directions for generative and developmental simulation. This workshop was a successful meeting point for researchers from different fields working together to advance the fields of generative connectomics and plasticity in computational neuroscience.