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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Modeling Brain Circuitry using Scales Ranging from Micrometer to Nanometer

Objective

If we are ever to unravel the mysteries of brain function at its most fundamental level, we will need a precise understanding of how its component neurons connect to each other. Furthermore, given the many recent advances in genetic engineering, viral targeting, and immunohistochemical labeling of specific cellular structures, there is a growing need for automated quantitative assessment of neuron morphology and connectivity. Electron microscopes can now provide the nanometer resolution that is needed to image synapses, and therefore connections, while Light Microscopes see at the micrometer resolution required to model the 3D structure of the dendritic network. Since both the arborescence and the connections are integral parts of the brain's wiring diagram, combining these two modalities is critically important. In fact, these microscopes now routinely produce high-resolution imagery in such large quantities that the bottleneck becomes automated processing and interpretation, which is needed for such data to be exploited to its full potential. We will therefore use our Computer Vision expertise to provide not only the necessary tools to process images acquired using a specific modality but also those required to create an integrated representation using all available modalities. This is a radical departure from earlier approaches to applying Computer Vision techniques in this field, which have tended to focus on narrow problems. State-of-the-art methods have not reached the level of reliability and integration that would allow automated processing and interpretation of the massive amounts of data that are required for a true leap of our understanding of how the brain works. In other words, we cannot yet exploit the full potential of our imaging technology and that is what we intend to change.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

ERC-2009-AdG
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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant

Host institution

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE
EU contribution
€ 2 495 982,00
Address
BATIMENT CE 3316 STATION 1
1015 LAUSANNE
Switzerland

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Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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Beneficiaries (1)

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