Machine Learning Methods for Neural Data Analysis

With modern high-density electrodes and optical imaging techniques, neuroscientists routinely measure the activity of hundreds, if not thousands, of cells simultaneously. Coupled with high-resolution behavioral measurements, genetic sequencing, and connectomics, these datasets offer unprecedented opportunities to learn how neural circuits function. This course will study statistical machine learning methods for analysing such datasets, including: spike sorting, calcium deconvolution, and voltage smoothing techniques for extracting relevant signals from raw data; markerless tracking methods for estimating animal pose in behavioral videos; network models for connectomics and fMRI data; state space models for analysis of high-dimensional neural and behavioral time-series; point process models of neural spike trains; and deep learning methods for neural encoding and decoding. We will develop the theory behind these models and algorithms and then apply them to real datasets in the homeworks and final project.This course is similar to STATS215: Statistical Models in Biology and STATS366: Modern Statistics for Modern Biology, but it is specifically focused on statistical machine learning methods for neuroscience data. Prerequisites: Students should be comfortable with basic probability (STATS 116) and statistics (at the level of STATS 200). This course will place a heavy emphasis on implementing models and algorithms, so coding proficiency is required.