{"631416":{"#nid":"631416","#data":{"type":"news","title":" New Research Applies Theoretical Computer Science to the Brain","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHow does the human brain work? It\u0026#39;s a question that has stymied scientists for centuries. For the past few years, School of Computer Science Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/~vempala\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESantosh Vempala\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been exploring it using theoretical computer science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is one of the most fundamental questions in science,\u0026rdquo; Vempala said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis starting point is the observation that the brain is able to do many things computers still cannot \u0026mdash; and more reliably and robustly. For example, humans are great at pattern recognition and generalization, from identifying letters to walking on new surfaces, after just a few \u0026ldquo;training\u0026rdquo; examples.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA particularly striking example is language. After hearing relatively few sentences, a neurotypical 2-year-old can understand and generate \u0026nbsp;virtually infinite correct sentences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;How is the brain able to do this?\u0026rdquo; Vempala asks. \u0026ldquo;How does the mind emerge from the brain? From neurons and synapses, how do we get to perception, language, and stories?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EComputers, however, need a lot of data and computational power, and work only in limited settings \u0026mdash; at least for now. This is why Captchas became popular for keeping applications secure.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile machine learning is interested in using insights from the brain, it mostly examines it from a data perspective. Vempala, however, wants to develop an algorithmic theory of brain function. He plans to approach this at an intermediate scale that is higher than neurons and synapses, but doesn\u0026rsquo;t examine the brain as a whole.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVempala and Columbia Professor \u003Cstrong\u003EChristos Papadimitriou\u003C\/strong\u003E hypothesize that assemblies of large, densely inter-connected neurons are the engine of brain computation. Assemblies are a strong basis for a computational system because they can be used to perform higher-level operations while at the same time can be compiled down to tangible units, such as neurons and synapses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis has been an ongoing project. In the Spring of 2018, they co-organized a Simons Institute semester T\u003Cem\u003Ehe Brain and Computation\u003C\/em\u003E. In \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/869156v1.full\u0022\u003Erecent work\u003C\/a\u003E, assemblies have been shown to be able to explain several experimental findings by neuroscientists.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir research, currently funded by a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant, will develop a theory to understand how the brain functions from a computational perspective. This is a collaborative effort with computer scientists at Columbia and cognitive scientists at City University of New York who will also contribute experimental studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research addresses the assembly hypothesis through five goals:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Col\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EExpanding modeling and mathematical techniques of analysis for the study of assembly computation\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u0026nbsp;Developing more accurate and efficient simulation methodology\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u0026nbsp;Exploring assemblies\u0026rsquo; computational power through new modes outside formal computation, such as pattern completion, learning, and prediction\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EModeling and algorithmic investigation of how synaptic connectivity dynamics and biases of affect the various modes of brain computation\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u0026nbsp;Creating and analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments and electrocorticography data through new algorithmic and machine learning techniques\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Santosh Vempala has a new $500,000 NSF grant to study human computation."}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2020-01-21 20:41:23","changed_gmt":"2020-01-24 17:08:57","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"631417":{"id":"631417","type":"image","title":"Brain as computer","body":null,"created":"1579639490","gmt_created":"2020-01-21 20:44:50","changed":"1579639490","gmt_changed":"2020-01-21 20:44:50","alt":"Brain as computer","file":{"fid":"240295","name":"Brain-Computer-With-Background.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Brain-Computer-With-Background.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Brain-Computer-With-Background.png","mime":"image\/png","size":281830,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Brain-Computer-With-Background.png?itok=Hmq2h_4b"}}},"media_ids":["631417"],"groups":[{"id":"50875","name":"School of Computer Science"},{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"589608","name":"Machine Learning"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tess.malone@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Etess.malone@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}