Connectome

Connectome is a comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain, and can be thought of as its "wiring diagram". More broadly, a connectome would include the mapping of all neural connections within an organism's nervous system.

Overview

The production and study of connectomes, known as connectomics, may range in scale from a detailed map of the full set of neurons and synapses within part or all of the nervous system of an organism to a macro scale description of the functional and structural connectivity between all cortical areas and subcortical structures. The term "connectome" is used primarily in scientific efforts to capture, map, and understand the organization of neural interactions within the brain.

History

The term "connectome" was coined by Olaf Sporns and Patric Hagmann in 2005. The concept has been used to study many different aspects of the brain including brain function, evolutionary brain changes, and alterations of the brain that occur with neurological disorders.

Connectomics

Connectomics is the production and study of connectomes: comprehensive maps of connections within an organism's nervous system, typically its brain or eye. Because these structures are extremely complex, methods within this field use a high-throughput application of neuroimaging and histology to map these connections, and therefore necessitate the use of supercomputing or distributed computing.

See also

• Neuroinformatics
• Brain mapping
• Neuroimaging
• Histology

External links

• Human Connectome Project
• Mouse Connectome Project

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