Towards functional connectomics

摘要

To understand the brain, the thousands of synaptic connections made by each of billions of neurons should be mapped and related to neuronal function. First steps towards this formidable goal are now reported. See Articles p.177 & p.183 Neurons are classified into cell types, which are traditionally defined by location and shape1. Rules of synaptic connection that depend on cell type, although important, are not sufficient for understanding neuronal function, because cells of the same type can have diverse functions. In this issue, Bock et al.2 and Briggman et al? report an exciting and pioneering approach to finding rules of connection between neurons that depend on their functional properties as well as their cell type.