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Grand Challenge on Neural Decoding at BioCAS 2024
by Prof. Arindam BASU 18 May '24

18 May '24

Apologies for Cross posting ---------------------------------- Dear all We are pleased to announce the Grand Challenge on “Neural Decoding for Motor Control of non-Human Primates” at IEEE BioCAS 2024. About The need to restore their ability to perform activities for daily living has motivated the development of a host of assistive technologies. The most promising among the reported ones is the intra-cortical Brain-Machine Interface (iBMI). iBMIs aim to substantially improve patients' lives affected by spinal cord injury or debilitating neurodegenerative disorders such as tetraplegia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis etc. An important block in the signal processing chain is the intention decoder that converts the neural signal to a command for driving an actuator (e.g. wheelchair, cursor in screen etc.). While Kalman Filters have been the algorithm of choice historically, the recent improvements of deep neural networks (DNN) raise the question whether they can outperform traditional signal processing techniques. Moreover, integrating such decoders in the implant can provide an effective solution to data compression which is urgently needed to enable wireless iBMIs. However, the computational complexity of the decoder has to be reduced to fit within the power budget of an implant. Recent advances in DNN techniques such as model compression, quantization and new networks like spiking neural networks may offer solutions in this direction. This IEEE BioCAS Grand Challenge is geared in that direction and aims to push the boundary for neural decoder design toward next-generation BMI systems. We leverage the framework of Neurobench (https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04640) developed for benchmarking neuromorphic systems to enable fair comparisons between different decoder designs. Timeline Start of Registration Friday, Apr 26, 2024 Start of Project Submission Wednesday, May 1, 2024 End of Registration/ Regular Paper Submission Friday, May 27, 2024 End of Project Submission Friday, Aug 2, 2024 Author Notification Date Friday, Aug 16, 2024 Final paper submission deadline Friday, Sep 6, 2024 Conference Registration Friday, Oct 4, 2024 Participation 1. The competition is open to individuals, colleges/universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises. The maximum number of team members is 3. 2. To ensure compliance with local regulations during the competition, all participants should comply with the export control laws of their country. In case of any negative impact on the competition due to violation of any export control laws, the team members reserve the right to disqualify the relevant contestants and take legal action. 3. Participants shall express their interest to participate in this Grand Challenge by filling in the application form (https://forms.gle/XGu4Bo9qq2YEYWWe6 ). They have to further submit an abstract in the Conference paper submission website (https://2024.ieee-biocas.org/Call-for-Papers) choosing the track as “Grand Challenge”, by May 27, 2024. Awards Top performing teams will be invited to submit papers in a week after their notification on Aug 16. Do note that gaining one of the top places on the leaderboard does not necessarily mean the acceptance of your paper –the paper will still go through a peer review process and may be rejected. The winning entries may however present their work at the conference regardless of paper acceptance. They will also receive certificates. For further details of datasets and evaluation metrics, please check the Biocas website: http://2024.ieee-biocas.org/ You may also email the organizers as listed below. We look forward to receiving your submissions! Thanking you, Organizers Biyan Zhou, City University of Hong Kong Pao-Sheng Vincent Sun, City University of Hong Kong Jason Yik, Harvard University Charlotte Frenkel, Delft University of Technology Vijay Janapa Reddi, Harvard University Arindam Basu, City University of Hong Kong (Email: byzhou4-c(a)my.cityu.edu.hk<mailto:byzhou4-c@my.cityu.edu.hk>; vincesun-c(a)my.cityu.edu.hk<mailto:vincesun-c@my.cityu.edu.hk>; jyik(a)g.harvard.edu<mailto:jyik@g.harvard.edu> ) -- Regards Arindam Basu Professor, Dept. of EE City University of Hong Kong Associate EiC, IEEE TBCAS Editorial Board Member of IOP Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering Associate Editor of IEEE Sensors & Frontiers in Neuroscience Disclaimer: This email (including any attachments) is for the use of the intended recipient only and may contain confidential information and/or copyright material. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete this email and all copies from your system. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, reproduction, copying, distribution, or other form of unauthorized dissemination of the contents is expressly prohibited.

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MESEC WORKSHOP 2024 [Deadline Extension]
by RUBÉN HERZOG 17 May '24

17 May '24

Dear comp-neuro community, APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED We have extended the application deadline of the exciting MESEC Workshop 2024 on non-ordinary states of consciousness! one week, so don’t miss this opportunity to apply. *The new deadline is May 24th, 2024 at 23:59 anywhere on Earth.* This unique 7-day interdisciplinary workshop, held from August 31st to September 8th in the beautiful setting of Campomoro, Corsica, brings together researchers from various fields to explore states of consciousness induced by psychedelics, meditation, hypnosis, and more. Participants will work closely with keynote speakers to create research proposals integrating insights from multiple perspectives. The scientific chair is the esteemed Thomas Metzinger, past president of the German Cognitive Science Society and the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness. Confirmed speakers include: * Christopher Timmerman, Imperial College London * Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, University of Haifa * Katrin Preller, University of Zurich * Guillaume Dumas, University de Montréal The workshop offers a stimulating environment to gain exposure to diverse methodologies, contribute to advancing consciousness research, and develop new collaborations. Postdocs and PhD students interested in expanding their knowledge are encouraged to apply. Participation fees of €750 cover 8 nights accommodation, meals, airport transport, and the workshop fee. *As we are trying to make our event as inclusive and accessible as possible, bursaries based on the quality of the application are available to help cover costs for those who need assistance to attend.* Don't miss this opportunity - submit your application at https://mesec.co/event/seminar_2024 Feel free to reach out to info(a)mesec.co with any questions. Best regards, The MESEC 2024 Team (Ros, Ruben, Romy, George)

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Complexity Textbook with ML Chapter
by Claudius Gros 16 May '24

16 May '24

Everybody! The just-published 2024 (fifth) Edition of the Sprinter Textbook Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems A Comprehensive Introduction contains now a chapter on "Complexity of Machine Learning" Just to let you know. More information in the table of contents https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bfm:978-3-031-55076-8/1 Claudius -- ### ### Prof. Dr. Claudius Gros ### http://itp.uni-frankfurt.de/~gros ###

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M.Sc. Modeling for Neuronal and Cognitive Systems - applications are open
by Chloe Bourgeois 16 May '24

16 May '24

[APPLICATIONS FOR 2024-25 ARE OPEN UNTIL JUNE 15 !] The M.Sc. Mod4NeuCog is a two-year interdisciplinary master's program at Université Côte d'Azur (Nice, France), which aims to train active researchers at the crossroads of computer science, applied mathematics and cognitive neuroscience. We encourage students with a background in computer science, mathematics, cognitive science, psychology or neuroscience to apply to our program, where they will learn to model cognitive functions using mathematical and computational tools. After the program, students are specialized in computational neuro/cognitive science and able to work in fully interdisciplinary settings, with a strong foundation in mathematics. More information available at our website : https://univ-cotedazur.eu/msc/modeling-for-neuronal-and-cognitive-systems Thanks for sharing this email with people who may be interested! -- Chloé BOURGEOIS-ANTONINI Responsable administrative Institut NeuroMod<https://neuromod.univ-cotedazur.eu/> Université Côte d'Azur 2004 Route des Lucioles 06902 Sophia-Antipolis Tel. : +33 (0)4 89 73 24 99 chloe.bourgeois(a)univ-cotedazur.fr<mailto:chloe.bourgeois@univ-cotedazur.fr>

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SUMMER SCHOOL:
by Stephen José Hanson 15 May '24

15 May '24

Large Language Models : Science and Stakes (June 3-14, 2024) SUMMER SCHOOL: "UNDERSTANDING LLM UNDERSTANDING" https://skywritingspress.ca/2019/01/08/the-journey-begins/ -- Stephen José Hanson Professor of Psychology Director of RUBIC Member of Exc Comm RUCCS

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Post-doc in computational modeling of catatonia (Benoît Girard, ISIR, Sorbonne Université, Paris)
by Benoît Girard 15 May '24

15 May '24

Post-doc in computational modeling of catatonia (Benoît Girard, ISIR, Sorbonne Université, Paris) A postdoc position (12+ month) is opened at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR, Sorbonne Université & CNRS). We are looking for a young and enthusiast researcher trained in computational neuroscience or neuro-robotics to contribute to the development of a computational model of catatonia. It is based on a new theory and preliminary results obtained in the lab (Aubin et al., 2022), dealing with the study of alteration of dynamic regimes observed in models of cortico-baso-thalamo- cortical loops. Results obtained with a population model have to be reproduced and extended with a spiking model, as well as connected to motor control module so as to investigate the motor symptoms of catatonia. The project builds on an ongoing collaboration between Benoît Girard (ISIR, computational neuroscience), David Cohen (ISIR and Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, clinical expertise) and Ghilès Mostafaoui (ETIS at Cergy-Pontoise Université, robotics and motor control). Starting date: September, 1st. Application deadline: June 15th. Location: The postdoc will be based in ISIR (https://www.isir.upmc.fr/?lang=en) in the Pierre & Marie Curie campus in the center of Paris. Please contact us (benoit.girard(a)isir.upmc.fr, david.cohen(a)aphp.fr, ghiles.mostafaoui(a)u-cergy.fr) for further information and applications. Aubin, L., Batailley, B., Raffin, M., Mostafaoui, G., Cohen, D. and Girard B. (2022) Exploration of the respective roles of cortex and basal ganglia in catatonia with a computational model. Poster presented at FENS2022 and NeuralNet2022. -- Benoît Girard, ISIR, Sorbonne Université/CNRS http://people.isir.upmc.fr/girard Submit your replications to ReScience C: https://rescience.github.io

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MESEC WORKSHOP 2024: Non-ordinary States of Consciousness
by RUBÉN HERZOG 15 May '24

15 May '24

Dear comp-neuro-list readers *We invite you to apply to the MESEC WORKSHOP 2024 on Non-ordinary states of consciousness* Join us for an interdisciplinary workshop that brings together researchers from various fields to investigate non-ordinary states of consciousness, such as those induced by psychedelics, meditation, and hypnosis. This collaborative event provides a unique opportunity to engage with leading experts and explore these states from both first-person and third-person perspectives. This unique 7-day interdisciplinary workshop, held from August 31st to September 8th in the beautiful setting of Campomoro, Corsica, brings together researchers from various fields to explore states of consciousness induced by psychedelics, meditation, hypnosis, and more. Participants will work closely with keynote speakers to create research proposals integrating insights from multiple perspectives. The scientific chair is the esteemed Thomas Metzinger, past president of the German Cognitive Science Society and the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness. Confirmed speakers include: * Christopher Timmerman, Imperial College London * Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, University of Haifa * Katrin Preller, University of Zurich * Guillaume Dumas, University de Montréal The workshop offers a stimulating environment to gain exposure to diverse methodologies, contribute to advancing consciousness research, and develop new collaborations. Postdocs and PhD students interested in expanding their knowledge are encouraged to apply. Participation fees of €750 cover 8 nights accommodation, meals, airport transport, and the workshop fee. As we are trying to make our event as inclusive and accessible as possible, bursaries based on the quality of the application are available to help cover costs for those who need assistance to attend. Don't miss this opportunity - submit your application at https://mesec.co/event/seminar_2024 by May 18th! Feel free to reach out to info(a)mesec.co with any questions. Best regards, On behalf of the The MESEC 2024 Team Rubén Herzog, PhD.

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Postdoctoral position in "Higher-order interactions in brain networks" (Marseille, France)
by Andrea Brovelli 14 May '24

14 May '24

Postdoctoral position (1+1 years duration) Centre de Physique Théorique, Marseille <http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/> and Institut des Neurosciences de la Timone, Marseille <https://www.int.univ-amu.fr/> Project Title: Higher-order interactions in human brain networks supporting causal learning Supervisors:Alain Barrat (CPT, Marseille) <http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~barrat>andAndrea Brovelli (INT, Marseille) <https://www.int.univ-amu.fr/member/brovelli.a> *Project abstract*: Learning is a brain network phenomenon thought to arise from synergistic interactions between multiple brain regions. Although central, this hypothesis has never been fully tested, yet. Indeed, progress has been limited by the lack of approaches for studying brain interactions beyond pairwise relations, the so-called higher order interactions (HOIs). Our objective is to build a theoretical and data analysis framework to demonstrate the role of HOIs in human brain networks supporting causal learning. The Hinteract project will be composed of three scientific work packages (WPs). WP1 will develop a novel informational theoretical approach to infer task-related (functional) HOIs from neural time series and will characterise HOIs supporting causal learning using a multiscale dataset including magnetoencephalography (MEG) and intracranial stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) data. WP2 will develop a network science formalism to analyse the structure and dynamics of functional HOIs patterns, and it will characterise the hierarchical organisation of learning-related HOIs inferred in WP1. WP3 will compile and share the neuroinformatics tools developed in the project and it will make it interoperable with the EBRAINS infrastructure. Overall, our project will reveal whether causal learning is supported by cerebral HOIs, and produce a theoretical and computational framework for the study of HOIs in brain networks that will be shared with the scientific community. Workpackages: WP1: Inference of learning-related high-order interactions in the brain WP2: Analysis of learning-related high-order interactions in the brain using network science approaches WP3: Integrated neuroinformatics tools for HOI analysis and sharing on EBRAINS infrastructure The _hired postdoctoral researcher will mainly work on WP2_, i.e., on the development of new formalisms and methods to apply to higher order interaction patterns identified in the data analyzed in WP1. We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in statistical physics, complex networks, computational neuroscience and programming, and a strong interest in interdisciplinary work. Having already worked on higher order networks is a plus but not required. The hired postdoctoral researcher will be based in the CPT on the Luminy Campus (south of Marseille) but will also devote a significant part of their time at the INT in the La Timone campus. *Position starting date:*October 1st, 2024 (negotiable) *Duration of the position:*1 year, renewable *Deadline for applications: June 15th, 2024* *TO APPLY*: * please send CV and motivation letter, and * have your supervisors send directly two letters of recommendation, *within June 15th, 2024*to alain.barrat @ cpt.univ-mrs.fr*and*andrea.brovelli @ univ-amu.fr

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REMINDER: World wide VVTNS series: Wednesday, May 15 at 11am (EDT), Agostina Palmigiano, Gastby Unit, London | Mechanisms underlying responses to optogenetic perturbations
by David Hansel 14 May '24

14 May '24

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture given by Agostina Palmigiano Gatsby Unit, London on the topic of "Mechanisms underlying responses to optogenetic perturbations*"* The lecture will be held on zoom on *May 15, 2024*, at *11:00 am EDT * To receive the zoom link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page *Abstract: *Optogenetic stimulation is a powerful tool to probe neural circuits. Yet, its effect on neural dynamics can be counterintuitive. Here, we analyzed and theoretically modeled neuronal responses to visual and optogenetic inputs in mouse and monkey V1. We found that in both species, optogenetic activation of excitatory neurons had weak or no effects on the distribution of firing rates across the population, but strongly modulated single-cell activity, a phenomenon which we call neuronal reshuffling. Through theoretical analysis and numerical investigations, we show that neuronal reshuffling emerges in strongly-coupled, randomly-connected networks via strong feedback inhibition, provided that the optogenetic input is sufficiently heterogeneous and weak. As perfect reshuffling was observed only when measuring cells whose orientation preference matched the orientation of the presented stimulus (in the monkey data), we extended our analysis to networks with a connection probability and inputs that depend on the cell's feature preference. We show that this model can be theoretically described as interactions between the tuned activity, encoding sensory features, and the untuned baseline activity. Finally, we show that these models can produce rate reshuffling via strong, effective inhibition of the tuned response by the untuned baseline and work out an intuition for this phenomenon. *About VVTNS : Created as the World Wide Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), its aim is to be a platform to exchange ideas among theoreticians. Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ ᐧ ᐧ ᐧ ᐧ ᐧ

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Summer School in Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI
by O'Donnell, Cian 14 May '24

14 May '24

We invite applications for our 4th annual Summer School in Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI (ISRC-CN3), hosted at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) in the Derry/Londonderry campus of Ulster University, Northern Ireland. The School runs from August 26th to 30th 2024 in hybrid mode with both in-person and online attendees. There have been rapid advancements and investments in research and development in brain sciences, neurotechnology, neural data modelling and neuro-inspired artificial intelligence (AI). The Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI (CN3) Summer School aims to train the next generation of researchers on these state-of-the-art developments. This short course will touch on the areas of computational neuroscience, neural data science, neurotechnology and neuro-inspired AI. Current lecture list (to be finalised): * Introductory neuroscience * Mathematics for neuroscience * Computational modelling of plasticity and learning in brains * Computational modelling of neuronal and glial interactions * Modelling the dynamics of decision-making * Neural Signal Processing * Brain Hyperscanning * Neurotechnology and its application for disorders of consciousness * BCI-controlled exoskeleton for neuro-rehabilitation * Spiking Neural Networks and their applications * Introduction to Continual Learning * Neuro-inspired Large Language Models * Neuromorphic Computing and Applications * Research ethics in Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and AI There will also be daily computer lab sessions and group projects. How is this course different to other schools? Some key benefits: * Crash-course on a broad set of topics. * Compressed 5-day duration. * Targeted at people new to or curious about these fields, who want to learn more. Little background knowledge assumed. * Registration costs kept low and subsidised housing, to encourage a diverse attendee pool. The 2023 School hosted 143 participants from 34 countries, with 41 attending in-person. The school is primarily targeted at PhD student level but we also welcome applications from MSc students, postdoctoral researchers, academic faculty, and industrial researchers. Some attendee feedback: * “… mind-opening experience …to listen to the great work of top-notch researchers” * “…friendly environment which I felt even in online experience” * “…lectures were not only interesting on their own but were ordered in such a way that they built on top of each other …and I felt I had built a good foundation on various topics in neuroscience that I can revisit later” For more information and application, please visit the website at: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/faculties/computing-engineering-and-the-built-envi… Deadline for In-Person Application: 15 June 2024 Deadline for Online Application: 10 August 2024 This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee and may contain information which is covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager at postmaster(a)ulster.ac.uk and delete this email immediately. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ulster University. The University's computer systems may be monitored and communications carried out on them may be recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes. Ulster University does not guarantee that this email or any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure. Unless expressly stated in the body of a separate attachment, the text of email is not intended to form a binding contract. Correspondence to and from the University may be subject to requests for disclosure by 3rd parties under relevant legislation. The Ulster University was founded by Royal Charter in 1984 and is registered with company number RC000726 and VAT registered number GB672390524.The primary contact address for Ulster University in Northern Ireland is Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA

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