Connectomics: novel methods for the dense reconstruction of neuronal circuits

Abstract

The nervous system is characterized by ex­tremely complex cell-to-cell interactions which primarily occur via chemical synaps­es. Mapping the structure of these intercel­lular networks is one of the major challeng­es in neuroscience. The new field of connec­tomics which has developed in recent years aims at the dense reconstruction of increas­ingly comprehensive nerve cell networks. Au­tomated volume electron microscopy tech­niques are employed for image acquisition. A major obstacle, however, is data reconstruc­tion, for which unusual solutions (e.g., mass reconstruction by crowd sourcing and on­line computer games) are currently being pursued.