November 15, 2017 (Vol. 37, No. 20)
URL:
bluebrain.epfl.ch
Rating:
Strong Points: Nicely organized information for wide audience
Weak Points: None
Summary:
An initiative of the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, the Blue Brain Project aims to generate digital reconstructions and simulations of the rodent (and eventually human) brain. As such, the Project is very much in line with the NIH BRAIN initiative in the U.S. The website for the Project is a great resource for neuroscientists and the general public alike. For non-specialists, the site provides a wonderful, accessible introduction to the initiative, a glossary of relevant neuroscience terms, and example images and videos illustrating the output of the research thus far. For neuroscientists, additional information about the Project can be found within the “research” section of the website, and a complete list of publications related to the project is also given on the site. Somewhat buried within the site (under the “digital reconstruction” page) site visitors will find a link to the NeuroMicrocircuitry Web Portal, which is the data portal for the Project.