Eyewire: a citizen science quest to map the connectome

December 12, 2012

J Cell neuron (credit: Eyewire)

It’s time to mobilize a global community of citizen neuroscientists to trace the 3D structure of J Cells and understand how retinal connectomes relate to visual perception. — Eyewire

MIT’s Seung Lab has released EyeWire, which will enlist “citizen scientists” to to map the 3D structure of neurons by analyzing nanoscale brain images using web browsers and mobile devices.

“They will trace the ‘wires’ of the brain — like playing with a 3D jigsaw puzzle consisting of image pieces computed by artificial intelligence,” says the Eyewire site. “The experience will rely on the spectacular graphics and other motivators of video gaming, but allow users to apply their minds to a worthy cause.”

EyeWire is headed by Sebastian Seung of MIT, author of Connectome: How the Brain’s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are.