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Welcome to the Brain Emulation Challenge: Functionalizing Brain Data, Ground-Truthing, and the Role of Artificial Data in Advancing Neuroscience

Workshop Announcement

Functionalizing Brain Data, Ground-Truthing, and the Role of Artificial Data in Advancing Neuroscience. Join us for an exciting workshop exploring the challenges and opportunities in functionalizing brain data to emulate neural circuits. This event will tackle cutting-edge topics such as ground-truthing for validation, leveraging artificial datasets generated from virtual brain tissue, and the transformative potential of virtual brain platforms, such as applied to the forthcoming Brain Emulation Challenge.

Workshop Structure

Tentative Schedule Topics
8:00 - 10:00 State of the art in brain emulation, via connectome functionalization (and other significant examples), accomplishments and limitations
10:00 - 11:00 System identification, functionalization, and insufficient availability of fully-known ground-truth for validation method development
11:00 - 13:00 Application of artificial data sets, successful examples in other fields, ground-truthing in-silico, C.Elegans, cell-culture, proper application and awareness of risks
13:00 - 14:00 Break
14:00 - 15:00 Neuroscience platforms for artificial data generation and rigorous validation procedures, our Virtual Brain Platform
15:00 - 17:00 The Brain Emulation Challenge, aims, protocol, and participation

Workshop Highlights

  • Presentations from leading experts on efforts to emulate neural circuits and the formidable challenges of functionalizing brain data

  • Insights into the current limitations of neural circuit emulation and neural prostheses derived from dynamic data or static connectomes

  • Discussion on the critical need for fully known ground-truth datasets to advance the field

  • Exploration of how artificial data, inspired by fields like AI, can accelerate method development

  • Broad applicability, from high-throughput electron microscopy and connectomics to fMRI datasets

  • Introduction to our open-source, open-science virtual brain platform and its application in the Brain Emulation Challenge, including its structure, evaluation metrics, and intended impact

  • Ways for researchers inside and outside of academia, and funders to engage with these initiatives

Workshop Objectives

Participants will:

  • Gain a clear understanding of the state of brain emulation, including its possibilities and challenges

  • Develop insight into current research efforts, limitations, and areas of potential breakthrough

  • Learn how artificial datasets, carefully used, can enhance method validation, closing a learning and innovation loop to accelerate progress

  • Become familiar with the Brain Emulation Challenge, its purpose and collaborative approach, and the platform behind it

  • Discover opportunities to contribute, from participating in challenges to supporting the initiative's growth

A Two-Part Series of Workshops

This workshop is the first in a two-part series designed to result in hands-on experience for a community of innovators driving progress in brain emulation. While this session focuses on knowledge-sharing, it also serves as an invitation to join a pioneering movement. Attendees will connect with peers and experts, engage in discussions on emerging research, and explore ways to collaborate and support this transformative work.

Join us as we lay the foundation for a rigorous, standardized, and open approach to brain emulation and related goals.