Head of the Research Group: Dr. Szabolcs KÁLI
Members of the Research Group: Gábor FARKAS, Máté MOHÁCSI, Luca TAR
Contact: kali.szabolcs@koki.hu
The Computational Neuroscience research group uses various mathematical and simulation tools to study the dynamics and functions of both single neurons and networks in the hippocampus, often in combination with experiments conducted at the Institute of Experimental Medicine. Computational neuroscience offers a range of quantitative tools that allow us to describe the data in a succinct manner, to formulate our hypotheses about neural function clearly and precisely, and to link different scales and levels of organization through the application of mechanistic models.
Models are, on the one hand, constrained by experimental data and, on the other hand, provide novel predictions that are testable using experimental methods. Some of the main focus areas of our group are the following: synaptic integration and nonlinear processing in neuronal dendrites; the origin and functions of population dynamics that are characteristic of the hippocampus, including theta and gamma oscillations and sharp-wave ripple events; the storage and retrieval of spatial and memorial representations in the hippocampus; and fitting of neuronal parameters based on experimental data and quantification of the expected precision of parameter inference.
Illustration of a data-driven modeling workflow for building detailed models of neurons. Morphological and biophysical data are used to construct models whose unknown parameters are tuned via automated methods to match electrophysiological recordings. Models are then validated in an automated manner, quantitatively comparing their behavior with experimental data from various paradigms.
Future research directions, collaboration opportunities
The research group’s theoretical and simulation-based research relies heavily on various types of experimental data, while also aiding in the interpretation of experimental results and the integration of data from different modalities. Furthermore, the research employs numerous methods from other theoretical fields, such as statistics, machine learning, and the theory of dynamical systems.
Key publications
- Mohácsi, M., Török, M.P., Sáray, S., Tar, L., Farkas, G., Káli, S. (2024). Evaluation and comparison of methods for neuronal parameter optimization using the Neuroptimus software framework. PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, 20(12):e1012039.
- Romani, A., Antonietti, A., Bella, D., Budd, J., Giacalone, E., Kurban, K., Sáray, S., Abdellah, M., Arnaudon, A., Boci, E., Colangelo, C., Courcol, J. D., Delemontex, T., Ecker, A., Falck, J., et al. (2024). Community-based reconstruction and simulation of a full-scale model of the rat hippocampus CA1 region. PLOS BIOLOGY, 22(11):e3002861.
- Ecker, A., Bagi, , Vértes, E., Steinbach-Németh, O., Karlócai, M. R., Papp, O. I., Miklós, I., Hájos, N., Freund, T. F., Gulyás, A. I., Káli, S. (2022). Hippocampal sharp wave-ripples and the associated sequence replay emerge from structured synaptic interactions in a network model of area CA3. ELIFE, 11: e71850.
