|
|
Background
We are in the midst of a major shift in the way we think about complex systems like brains and computers. Until recently, the dominant models in cognitive science and artificial intelligence were based on symbol processing. Researchers in a wide spectrum of disciplines are now exploring a new paradigm for computation based on distributed rather than localized data structures, and on information flow in dynamical systems rather than through sequences of logical operation.
The impact of this new approach to computation has influenced research directions in many areas of science. In neuroscience, modeling techniques are changing the way that we think about how distributed processes within neurons and interacting populations of neurons represent information and how neural mechanisms process this information on scales ranging from molecules to brain systems. In cognitive science, parallel distributed processing models, pioneered at UCSD, have revolutionized concepts of memory, attention and language. In computer engineering, VLSI chips and optical devices are being created that process information in parallel, heralding a new generation of computers that have vast computational power dedicated to problems in vision, speech recognition, and motor control.
|
|
|
|
The Mission of the Institute for Neural Computation
INC's research efforts are aimed at understanding nervous systems through a combination of approaches that include experimental research, modeling of neural structures, collection and data mining massive datasets of brain and behavioral data, and engineering of synthetic organisms that operate in natural environments. The scientific goal is to uncover computational principles underlying the real time organization of behavior and its neural implementation. This scientific goal is being pursued in conjunction with efforts towards the creation of a new generation of technological systems applicable to everyday life and inspired on the principles of neural computation.
The central premise of the INC is that progress requires crossing well established disciplinary boundaries the coordination of effort from researchers in disciplines such as neuroscience, computer science, physics, robotics, and behavioral sciences. INC's unique blend of these disciplines is what makes this Institute an internationally recognized center for the development of neural computation.
In addition to its focus on research in the field of neural computation, the mission of the INC includes developing collaborative research projects, providing state-or-the-art facilities for carrying out path breaking research, coordinating the training of young investigators, disseminating research at seminars, workshops and special events, distributing software for facilitating new computational approaches and working with industrial researchers through its Industrial Affiliates Program.
One of the most remarkable aspects of these developments is the range of scientific disciplines that are involved. In addition to neuroscientists, neurologists, cognitive scientists, and computer scientists, some of the leading contributors have been physicists, mathematicians, electrical engineers, linguists, economists and philosophers.
Understanding how brains function, at the neural and cognitive levels, is one of the greatest remaining scientific mysteries.
|
|
