Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
Foundational model of structural connectivity in the nervous system with a schema for wiring diagrams, connectome,
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Abstract:
The nervous system is a biological computer integrating the body's reflex and voluntary environmental interactions (behavior) with a relatively constant internal state (homeostasis)-- promoting survival of the individual and species. The wiring diagram of the nervous system's structural connectivity provides an obligatory foundational model for understanding functional localization at molecular, cellular, systems, and behavioral organization levels. This paper provides a high-level, downwardly extendible, conceptual framework--like a compass and map--for describing and exploring in neuroinformatics systems (such as our Brain Architecture Knowledge Management System) the structural architecture of the nervous system's basic wiring diagram. For this, the Foundational Model of Connectivity's universe of discourse is the structural architecture of nervous system connectivity in all animals at all resolutions, and the model includes two key elements--a set of basic principles and an internally consistent set of concepts (defined vocabulary of standard terms)--arranged in an explicitly defined schema (set of relationships between concepts) allowing automatic inferences. In addition, rules and procedures for creating and modifying the foundational model are considered. Controlled vocabularies with broad community support typically are managed by standing committees of experts that create and refine boundary conditions, and a set of rules that are available on the Web.
More Related Videos
10:32Design, Surface Treatment, Cellular Plating, and Culturing of Modular Neuronal Networks Composed of Functionally Inter-connected Circuits
Published on: April 15, 2015
10:143D Scanning Technology Bridging Microcircuits and Macroscale Brain Images in 3D Novel Embedding Overlapping Protocol
Published on: May 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Storage
Neuron Structure
Structure and Function of Neurons
The neuronal cell body—the soma— houses the nucleus and organelles vital to cellular...
Neuron Structure
Circuit Terminology
A circuit, on the other hand, is also an interconnected system of electrical elements but must contain one or more closed paths.
Structural Organization of the Human Body: An Overview
To study the chemical level of organization, scientists consider the simplest building blocks of matter: subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules. All matter in the universe is composed of one or more unique pure substances called elements, familiar examples of...
Organization of the Nervous System
The CNS, comprising the brain and spinal cord, houses billions of neurons. The brain is housed in the skull, while the spinal cord is linked to the brain through the foramen magnum of the occipital bone and is surrounded by the protective structure of the vertebral column. It is responsible for processing various...