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The semester's theme is assessing and comparing methods of inference regarding neural activity*. * How do local field potential (LFP) data relate to data from studies based on spike trains, BOLD, fMRI, calcium or voltage-dependent optical signals, immediate-early gene histology, or other measures of neural activity? What artifacts may arise from the use of particular techniques and do they threaten the supposed findings of a given paper? This has particular importance for relatively complex or new techniques -- e.g., studies of dynamical interregional communication in the brain, frequency-domain analyses, and other techniques that may be easily misinterpreted or overtrusted. As always, please interpret BCS themes broadly -- they are meant to focus rather than to exclude.
We are considering decision making and 'neuroeconomics' as a possible organizing theme for Spring 2013.
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BCS will continue its "minimal Powerpoint" policy of Fall 2011. In order to make discussions more engaging and less formal, we encourage presentations to be primarily "chalk talks", in which concepts are sketched rather than figures shown. Mixed media are OK too, in which a complex figure can be put onto a slide or simply zoomed up on from the PDF file of the original paper, but drawing the figure tends to convey stronger understanding than does flashing a figure up on the wall. We also emphasize that you do not have to present papers in their entirety, much less multiple papers. Having everybody read up thoroughly on something small and focused usually makes for a better experience than everybody skimming one or more full papers. You may want to present only one exciting concept, exemplified by one or more figures drawn from one or more papers. That's great. Focus on the concepts, and don't feel compelled to master every detail of every paper that you want to include in your presentation. Do what you feel is best, but please do not just put the figures of a paper into a slide show and describe the paper.
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