Dear colleagues, please find below an invitation to a joint workshop by LOEWE-NeFF and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS). Best Regards, Michael Wibral Matthias Kaschube ----------------------- LOEWE-NeFF and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) jointly invite you to a “Workshop on Neural Information Dynamics, Causality and Computation near Criticality” December 12-13th, 2014 The workshop is preceded by a “Software course on Neural Information Dynamics with TRENTOOL, the Java Information Dynamics Toolkit and MuTE” December 10-11th, 2014 Venue: Workshop and student course will be held at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS, www.fias.uni-frankfurt.de), Ruth-Moufang-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany The workshop addresses the analysis of neural computation in large neural systems and covers three tightly related topics in the field of modern analysis of neural data: Causality The analysis of causal interactions yields important insights into the biophysical substrate of neural dynamics that enable emergent computation. It is one of the goals of the workshop to discuss the link between causal analysis and the analyses of information processing proper, in order to clarify the dividing line and the mutual benefit of these two types of analyses. Neural information dynamics Information theoretic quantities separate and measure key elements of distributed computation in neural systems, such as the storage, transfer, and modification of information. These concepts can help to better understand the computational algorithms implemented by the dynamics of a neural system, providing the link between these algorithms and their biophysical implementation. Large scale organisation and criticality Neural systems orchestrate the activity of a large number of interacting neurons to achieve their computational capabilities. Recent advances in recording technology make it possible to reveal the activity patterns of hundreds of neurons distributed across the brain. This offers the unique opportunity to identify the large-scale organising principles of neural activity, such as operation near a critical point, that support computation in the system. Confirmed speakers: Adam Barrett Demian Battaglia Sakyasingha Dasgupta Luca Faes Esther Florin Moritz Grosse-Wentrup Andreea Lazar Anna Levina Daniele Marinazzo Oliver Obst Gordon Pipa Alberto Porta Viola Priesemann Karin Schiecke Raul Vicente The supporting software course addresses young scientists who intend to apply information theoretic measures for neuroscience hands on, and that would like to contribute code to one of the open source toolboxes on the topic. Some minimal experience with MATLAB or GNU-Octave is necessary for participation. Some prior knowledge in information theory is a plus. Applications for the student course should include a brief statement of motivation. Student course faculty: Alessandro Montalto (MuTE) Michael Wibral (TRENTOOL, Java Information Dynamics Toolkit) Patricia Wollstadt (TRENTOOL) ---------------------------------------------------------- Please apply/register by email before October 24th to wibral@em.uni-frankfurt.de as places for course and workshop are limited. Registration fees Student course: 50,00 EUR Workshop: 75,00 EUR Course+Workshop: 100,00 EUR Upon successful registration please wire the registration fees to: Account holder: Universitätsklinikum Account: 37 99 99, BLZ: 50050201 IBAN: DE 32 500 502 01 0000 37 9999 SWIFT-Code: HELADEF 1822 Reference: 21000521