Segmental Overlay of the Algorithms of the Brain: A Computational Model of the Visual System
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
21-4-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
21-4-2014 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Psychology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Dawn Albertson
Mentor's Email Address
dawn.albertson@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Psychology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Second Mentor's Name
Rebecca Bates
Second Mentor's Email Address
rebecca.bates@mnsu.edu
Second Mentor's Department
Integrated Engineering
Second Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
A computational model of the brain would give researchers a better understanding of the processing power of the brain as well as insight into information processing algorithms. This project takes a software engineering approach to modeling processes in the brain. Rather than attempt to describe all the actions of a neuron or collection of neurons at once, it must be shown that each component of the brain's processing can be described and then combined with the others without loss or confliction. Starting from the most basic structures to the most complex, each component can theoretically be defined as a collection of attributes and actions, such as those used in objects and classes in an object-oriented programming language. Before developing the actual code for implementation, models are first described using a unified modeling language (UML) class diagram. To narrow the scope of the computational model presented here, only the visual system is described through UML class diagrams. Only neurons that have function beyond simple information relay in the visual system are defined and their layers of algorithms described. In this model of the visual system, a photon interacts with a photoreceptor and the signal that propagates from this source is followed to the occipital lobe and returns through motor pathways that move the eye. Class diagrams and code segments representing the model will be presented here. This process can be extended to allow for additional research to help explain information gaps within the brain system as a whole.
Segmental Overlay of the Algorithms of the Brain: A Computational Model of the Visual System
CSU Ballroom
A computational model of the brain would give researchers a better understanding of the processing power of the brain as well as insight into information processing algorithms. This project takes a software engineering approach to modeling processes in the brain. Rather than attempt to describe all the actions of a neuron or collection of neurons at once, it must be shown that each component of the brain's processing can be described and then combined with the others without loss or confliction. Starting from the most basic structures to the most complex, each component can theoretically be defined as a collection of attributes and actions, such as those used in objects and classes in an object-oriented programming language. Before developing the actual code for implementation, models are first described using a unified modeling language (UML) class diagram. To narrow the scope of the computational model presented here, only the visual system is described through UML class diagrams. Only neurons that have function beyond simple information relay in the visual system are defined and their layers of algorithms described. In this model of the visual system, a photon interacts with a photoreceptor and the signal that propagates from this source is followed to the occipital lobe and returns through motor pathways that move the eye. Class diagrams and code segments representing the model will be presented here. This process can be extended to allow for additional research to help explain information gaps within the brain system as a whole.
Recommended Citation
Boyd, Scott. "Segmental Overlay of the Algorithms of the Brain: A Computational Model of the Visual System." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 21, 2014.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2014/poster_session_B/33
