[Neuroinfo] Neurocomputing special issue call for papers - Advances on Biological Rhythmic Pattern Generation

[Zhijun Yang]

                      Neurocomputing Special Issue Call for Paper
          Advances on Biological Rhythmic Pattern Generation: Experiments,
                            Algorithms and Applications

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Organisers:
Zhijun Yang
Mehmet Karamanoglu
Felipe França
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Potential authors are invited to submit manuscripts online to  
Neurocomputing, Special Issue on Advances on Biological Rhythmic  
Pattern Generation: Experiments, Algorithms and Applications.


Overview

As an engine of almost all life phenomena, the motor information  
generated by the nervous system plays a critical role in the  
activities of all animals. A fundamental question as to how biological  
rhythmic patterns are generated has puzzled many generations of  
scientists since Aristotle’s era. With the development of natural,  
medical sciences and computing techniques, we are now able to  
speculate and demonstrate many biological motion phenomena in terms of  
their originating cortical areas, causes and effects, and even some of  
the underlying neuronal mechanisms.

Basically, all animals, either vertebrate or invertebrate, have two  
types of movements, i.e., voluntary or involuntary. In primates,  
voluntary movements are driven by the animal’s will, and usually  
involve the high level central nervous system including the primary  
motor cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, and basal  
ganglia. These cortical areas are interconnected directly or  
indirectly and possibly some of these areas share the overlapped  
functions such that the intact areas of cortex take over the function  
of damaged or disconnected areas. However, aging, degeneration or  
traumatic injury of some cortical motor areas can have serious  
results, like paralysis. For instance, the dysfunction of basal  
ganglia is commonly regarded to cause Parkinson’s disease. On the  
other hand, involuntary movements are relatively low level motion,  
normally involving low level nervous systems like the spinal cord or  
cerebellum. These movements come with the species and habits, and are  
usually automatic. For instance, a newly born baby is able to breathe  
and suck for eating. These innate movements, along with some postnatal  
acquired actions, like gait patterns, are speculated as outcomes of a  
type of mechanism, known as CPG — Central Pattern Generator. Studies  
of this mechanism have aroused remarkable interest in the scientific  
community, as its concept is biologically plausible and potentially  
useful in applications in other domains, though anatomically not yet  
clearly identified.

One can identify two main research threads in the exploration of  
mechanisms of pattern generation: one is on biological experiments;  
while the other is on mathematical and/or computational models, and  
associated applications. In the former study, motion related areas in  
the brain are investigated, in vivo or in vitro, in order to build up  
an overall map of the architecture and functionality of animal motion.

These studies sometimes include not only the brain areas themselves,  
but also their interactions with the world, via a range of sensors in  
a closed loop. Some noninvasive techniques, like the  
electroencephalogram, are also commonly used in this thread. In recent  
decades, the modelling and application thread becomes very active  
thanks to modern technology. Two sub-threads, one regarding theoretic  
and computational modelling, and the other regarding neuromorphic  
implementation of speculated or biologically discovered mechanisms,  
co-exist and both develop rapidly. The outcomes of the second  
sub-thread start to contribute to medical practices, such as  
rehabilitation of disable persons.

This timely special issue aims to summarise recent developments and  
thus make a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of  
biological pattern generation in a broad scope. It welcomes  
contributions from a wide range of research aspects relevant to the  
topic, including neurophysiological, neuroanatomical and  
neuropsychological experiments, mathematical and computational models,  
algorithms, simulation, applications and/or case studies.

Dates:

Submission deadline: 15 June, 2014 11:59 PM GMT; Acceptance  
notification: 15 September, 2014.

Submitted works should follow the Neurocomputing format (include link
http://www.elsevier.com/journals/neurocomputing/0925-2312/guide-for-authors)
.

Sincerely,
Zhijun




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