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Category Archives: Neuronal activity
How well do CNNs for spike detection generalize to unseen datasets?
Some time ago, Stephan Gerhard and I have used a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect neuronal spikes from calcium imaging data. (I have mentioned this before, here, here, and on Github.) This method is covered by the spikefinder paper … Continue reading
Layer-wise decorrelation in deep-layered artificial neuronal networks
The most commonly used deep networks are purely feed-forward nets. The input is passed to layers 1, 2, 3, then at some point to the final layer (which can be 10, 100 or even 1000 layers away from the input). … Continue reading
Posted in Data analysis, machine learning, Neuronal activity
Tagged CNN, Data analysis, deep learning, machine learning, Network analysis, Python
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The basis of feature spaces in deep networks
In a new article on Distill, Olah et al. write up a very readable and useful summary of methods to look into the black box of deep networks by feature visualization. I had already spent some time with this topic … Continue reading
Posted in machine learning, Network analysis, Neuronal activity
Tagged CNN, deep learning, machine learning, Network analysis, Python
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How deconvolution of calcium data degrades with noise
How does the noisiness of the recorded calcium data affect the performance of spiking-inferring deconvolution algorithms? I cannot offer a rigorous treatment of this question (Update August 2020: Now I have treated this question rigorously.) , but some intuitive examples. … Continue reading
A convolutional network to deconvolve calcium traces, living in an embedding space of statistical properties
As mentioned before (here and here), the spikefinder competition was set up earlier this year to compare algorithms that infer spiking probabilities from calcium imaging data. Together with Stephan Gerhard, a PostDoc in our lab, I submitted an algorithm based on convolutional networks. Looking … Continue reading
A short report from a Cold Spring Harbor lab course
One of the best things of being a PhD student is that one is supposed to learn new things. As part of this mission, I attended a two-week laboratory course in the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories on ‘Advanced Techniques in … Continue reading
Whole-cell patch clamp, part 3: Limitations of quantitative whole-cell voltage clamp
Before I first dived into experimental neuroscience, I imagined whole-cell voltage clamp recordings to be the holy grail of precision. Directly listening to the currents that take place inside of a living neuron! How beautiful and precise, compared to poor-resolution techniques like fMRI or … Continue reading
Posted in Data analysis, electrophysiology, Neuronal activity, zebrafish
Tagged Data analysis, electrophysiology, zebrafish
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The crow as an animal model for neuroscience
Close to my apartment in the outskirts of Basel, green fields and some small woods lie basically in front of my house door. This is also where some flocks of crows gather around, partly searching the fields for food, partly … Continue reading
Posted in electrophysiology, Imaging, Neuronal activity, Uncategorized
Tagged consciousness, electrophysiology, zebrafish
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Weblogs on circuit and cellular neuroscience
A couple of days ago, I discovered a list of neuroblog feeds managed by Neurocritic, covering almost 200 blogs in total. Out of those, I picked the blogs most relevant for circuit and cellular neuroscience. This excludes most blogs on cognitive neuroscience and … Continue reading
The larval zebrafish, and the adult zebrafish
Zebrafish are often used as a model organism for in vivo brain imaging, because they are transparent. Or at least that is what many people think who do not work with zebrafish. In reality, most people use zebrafish larvae for in vivo … Continue reading
Posted in Calcium Imaging, Neuronal activity, zebrafish
Tagged Calcium Imaging, zebrafish
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A blog about neurophysiology 