Conference: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference on Computational and Systems Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, March 2004

人们早就认识到，神经科学的基本问题需要多学科的科学方法才能得到适当的解决。特别是，系统神经科学，涉及信息处理和大量神经元的系统，已经被认为需要计算和数学部分。比如，像这样的问题：“神经系统如何代表我们周围的世界？”以及“神经活动和行为之间的关系是什么？”包括假设和测试关于超高维空间：神经活动空间和世界之间的联系的假设。在神经生理学实验的分析、解释和设计中，适用于高维的计算方法和模型已经变得越来越普遍。许多已经开发的方法和概念并不依赖于特定的感觉模式或系统，而是涉及神经科学的基本方面的想法，并可应用于广泛的问题。然而，部分原因可能是因为它的多学科性质和范围之广，计算和系统神经科学尚未成为一个独特的社区。也就是说，提出类似问题并使用互补方法的研究人员往往不知道其他研究人员的相关工作，因此无法从他们的见解和进展中受益。计划于2004年3月在冷泉港实验室举办第一届计算与系统神经科学会议。COSOTIE的重点将是结合计算实验方法，突出跨系统和模式的概念。这次会议将聚集一大批具有共同兴趣和观点的科学家，包括寻求从计算方法中受益的实验系统神经科学家，以及致力于实验系统神经科学家直接感兴趣的问题的理论家。这次会议的目的是对研究生和博士后助理产生特别强烈的影响，因为它可能会改变他们工作的视角。

It has long been recognized that the fundamental questions of neuroscience require a multidisciplinary scientific approach in order to be properly addressed. In particular, systems neuroscience, which deals with information processing and systems of large numbers of neurons, has been recognized as requiring a computational and mathematical component. For example, questions such as: "how does the nervous system represent the world around us?" and "what is the relationship between neural activity and behavior? " involve postulating and testing hypotheses about the links between very high dimensional spaces: the space of neural activity, and the world. Computational methods and models suited to high dimensions have grown increasingly common in the analysis, interpretation, and design of neurophysiological experiments. Many of the methods and concepts that have been developed are not tied to specific sensory modalities or systems, but are ideas that address fundamental aspects of neuroscience, and can be applied to a wide range of problems. However, perhaps in part because of its multidisciplinary nature and the breath of its scope, computational and systems neuroscience has not yet emerged as a distinct community. That is, researchers asking similar questions and using complementary approaches, are often unaware of the related work of other researchers, and therefore cannot benefit from their insights and advances. It is proposed to host the first computational and systems neuroscience (Cosyne) meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in March, 2004. The emphasis of Cosyne will be on combining computational experimental approaches, highlighting concepts that carry across systems and modalities. This meeting will bring together a critical mass of scientists with shared interest and perspectives, including both experimental systems neuroscientists who are seeking to benefit from computational approaches, and theorists who are working on problems of direct interest to experimental systems neuroscientists. This meeting is intended to have a particularly strong impact on graduate students and postdoctoral associates, since it may change the perspectives within which they do their work.