What’s the Latest News From the World of Computational Neuroscience?

In a week, we’re heading on a lengthy summer school tour. I see it as a make-or-break situation because delving into computational neuroscience has left me awestruck by its vastness. The rapid advancements also send shivers down my spine.

Sometimes, I even catch myself envying those who have a specific niche, a lesser-known corner where no one’s looking, something that won’t land them in headlines like Nature or Science. On the flip side, it guarantees a peaceful four-year journey towards defending a doctorate instead of a frenzied race and the uncertainty of being outpaced by other labs or better-equipped competitors. It’s probably the result of an excessive influx of funds.

What’s Making Headlines in the Field?

Lately, there’s been quite a buzz about Henry Markram—a South African psychiatrist turned neuroscientist. He’s based in Lausanne, Switzerland, working on reconstructing an entire cortical column, which is a self-contained unit comprising around 10,000 neurons, using a computer network. He secured a jaw-dropping €1 billion grant from the European Union. According to EPFL (2013), the European Commission selected the Human Brain Project as one of two Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship Initiatives, awarding it up to €1 billion in funding over ten years. Someone must have taken leave of their senses to approve that, highlighting the colossal amounts being poured into this field.

Another project funded by philanthropist Allen at the Allen Institute in Seattle, USA, involves slicing mouse brains thinly, using optical imaging to capture individual neurons, and then creating a comprehensive 3D model by skillfully merging them through complex algorithms. At $300 million, it’s comparably affordable next to EU projects. According to the Allen Institute (2012), philanthropist Paul G. Allen committed $300 million to expand the Institute’s brain-mapping research over four years. Reading about these grants often leaves me baffled.

On the one hand, it seems promising, given that money talks. On the other hand though, it draws a swarm of pseudo-neuroscientists—individuals who are not exactly 100% mathematicians or biochemists. They lack the comprehensive perspective needed to tackle this intricate issue.

What they do possess, however, is the lure of being at the forefront of events, the ease of publishing in top-tier journals, and of course, the money. This situation, in turn, makes it rather challenging to spot genuine neuroscientists amidst the crowd of impostors.

What To Specialize In?

Returning to the topic, there must be a method behind this madness. Excelling is tied to specialization—a balance between a broad enough view to encompass the whole and a narrow enough focus to deeply explore the subject. According to de Rassenfosse, Higham and Penner (2022), specialization pays off in citations, and the reward is even larger early in a researcher’s career.

So far, I haven’t chosen my path, despite being a year into my PhD. My tutors insist on diverting me towards topics that interest me only in the middle. I’m hoping the summer schools will sway my decision; otherwise, it’ll be a real struggle to meet the stringent diploma requirements in the Netherlands and then secure my truly dream job elsewhere.