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. 2013 Jun;10(6):494-500.
doi: 10.1038/nmeth.2480.

Why not connectomics?

Affiliations

Why not connectomics?

Joshua L Morgan et al. Nat Methods. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Opinions diverge on whether mapping the synaptic connectivity of the brain is a good idea. Here we argue that albeit their limitations, such maps will reveal essential characteristics of neural circuits that would otherwise be inaccessible.

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Conflict of interest statement

COMPETING FINANCIAL INTERESTS

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Potential results from two approaches to studying circuit connectivity. (a) Probing pairs of neurons in multiple subjects determines the probability that neighboring neurons are connected. (b) Connectome of the same tissue reveals network motifs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Two types of wiring diagrams. (a) Schematic of mammalian retina drawn by Santiago Ramón y Cajal in 1901. Image courtesy of J. De Carlos. (b) Dense connectivity of the Twitter network of David Rodrigues as rendered by D. Rodrigues (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr/2048034334/).

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