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What kinds of tools and analyses do computational neuroscientists perform in research?
This is coming from someone who isn't very familiar with technology used in the field and really wants to learn. #neuroscience
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Erin Naffziger
PhD Candidate in Biopsychology at the University of Michigan
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Erin’s Answer
Computational neuroscientists try to model how the brain works and use different mathematical models because the tools they use to collect data gives MASSIVE amounts of information. One tool, called electrophysiology. Electrophysiology uses electrodes to record changes in voltage from cells in the brain (aka neurons). By recording this change in voltage, scientists can view when/how often neurons send signals across the brain. However because neurons are so tiny and communicating with hundreds of thousands of other cells in the brain, it can be difficult to find that information (this is very important when you are trying to understand how the brain understands events/stimuli). Researchers must use complex analyses to look at the data and find trends.