UK Neuroinformatics Node: Contributing to the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility

理解大脑是我们这个时代最大的智力挑战之一。它具有重要的实际意义，因为它将为治疗许多目前无法治愈的疾病奠定基础。大脑由数十亿个神经细胞组成，我们需要知道它们是如何形成的，它们如何相互连接以及它们如何相互影响。神经科学产生了大量关于所有这些方面的数据，例如基因如何指导神经细胞的形成，以及神经细胞如何通过传递电信号和化学信号相互交流。此外，成像研究揭示了当我们执行特定任务时大脑哪些部分活跃的详细图片。神经信息学将计算机科学，数学和物理学应用于存储，检索和分析这些大量数据的问题。为了有效地做到这一点，需要制定和商定神经科学数据工具格式的共同国际标准。目前，这些数据中的大部分在产生数据的项目结束后都没有得到维护，需要开发一些方法来长期存储和访问这些数据。国际神经信息学协调机构（International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility，INCF）是一个负责协调全球神经信息学的国际机构。INCF有14个成员国，包括英国。它有一个活动计划，每个活动都集中在特定的问题上，例如如何共享数据或如何长期存储数据。要成为INCF的成员，一个国家必须有一个国家神经信息学组织，作为INCF的节点。我们建议开展一系列活动，以加强和发展英国神经信息学，并鼓励参与INCF。这些活动包括：开发一个英国神经信息学节点网站，以促进英国节点成员之间的合作;组织专家研讨会，在研讨会上，将开发使用神经信息学方法以造福神经科学的新想法，并将其纳入INCF级别的活动;组织短期培训研讨会;安排个人之间的会议，以学习新技术;作为一个约会机构的人不知道其他的专业知识，将有利于他们;使神经信息学领域更广泛地了解;并参加INCF的专业工作计划或提出新的国际倡议，可以由INCF采取。

Understanding the brain is one of the great intellectual challenges of our time. It is of practical importance, as it will lay the foundations for treating many currently incurable diseases.The brain comprises billions of nerve cells and we need to know how they are formed, how they interconnect and how they influence one another. Neuroscience yields vast quantities of data about all these aspects, such as how genes instruct the formation of nerve cells and how nerve cells intercommunicate by transmittingelectrical and chemical signals to one another. Furthermore, imaging studies reveal detailed pictures of which parts of the brain are active when we carry out specific tasks.Neuroinformatics applies computer science, mathematics and physics to the problem of storing, retrieving and analysing this vast amount of data. To do this efficiently, common international standards for formats for neuroscience data tools need to be developed and agreed upon. Currently, much of this data is not maintained after the end of the project that generated it. Methods need to be developed to store and make accessible this data in the long term. For all of this to happen, international coordination is needed.The INCF (International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility) is an international body which coordinates neuroinformatics worldwide. There are 14 member countries of the INCF, including the UK. It has aprogram of activities each focussed on specific issues, such as how to share data or how to store data long term. To be a member of the INCF, a country must have a national neuroinformatics organisation, which acts as a Node of the INCF. This proposal is to fund the UK INCF Node.We propose to carry out a set of activities to strengthen and develop UK neuroinformatics and to encourage involvement in the INCF. Amongst these activities are: developing a UK Neuroinformatics Node web site to facilitate collaboration between UK Node members; organising specialist workshops at which new ideas for using neuroinformatics methods for the benefit of neuroscience will be developed and whichcan feed into activities at the INCF level; organising short training workshops; arranging meetings between individuals to learn new techniques; acting as a dating agency for people unaware of other expertises that would benefit them; making the field of neuroinformatics more widely known; and taking part in INCF specialist programs of work or proposing new international initiatives that can be taken up by the INCF.