The Rewiring Brain: A Computational Approach to Structural Plasticity in the Adult Brain

The adult brain is not as hard-wired as traditionally thought. By modifying their small- or large-scale morphology, neurons can make new synaptic connections or break existing ones (structural plasticity). Structural changes accompany memory formation and learning, and are induced by neurogenesis, neurodegeneration and brain injury such as stroke.

Exploring the role of structural plasticity in the brain can be greatly assisted by mathematical and computational models, as they enable us to bridge the gap between system-level dynamics and lower level cellular and molecular processes. However, most traditional neural network models have fixed neuronal morphologies and a static connectivity pattern, with plasticity merely arising from changes in the strength of existing synapses (synaptic plasticity). In The Rewiring Brain, the editors bring together for the first time contemporary modeling studies that investigate the implications of structural plasticity for brain function and pathology. Starting with an experimental background on structural plasticity in the adult brain, the book covers computational studies on homeostatic structural plasticity, the impact of structural plasticity on cognition and cortical connectivity, the interaction between synaptic and structural plasticity, neurogenesis-related structural plasticity, and structural plasticity in neurological disorders.

Structural plasticity adds a whole new dimension to brain plasticity, and The Rewiring Brain shows how computational approaches may help to gain a better understanding of the full adaptive potential of the adult brain. The book is written for both computational and experimental neuroscientists.

• Reviews the current state of knowledge of structural plasticity in the adult brain
• Gives a comprehensive overview of computational studies on structural plasticity
• Provides insights into the potential driving forces of structural plasticity and the functional implications of structural plasticity for learning and memory
• Serves as inspiration for developing novel treatment strategies for stimulating functional repair after brain damage

Dr. Arjen van Ooyen is an independent scientist and former Associate Professor with VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD in computational neuroscience from the University of Amsterdam and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh and the Netherlands Institute for Brain Researcher. His research interests lie in the computational and mathematical modeling of neuronal morphogenesis and the development of synaptic connectivity, with a focus on the role of homeostatic structural plasticity in the formation and reorganization of neuronal networks.

Dr. Markus Butz-Ostendorf is Senior Principal Scientist in Computational Innovation at Boehringer Ingelheim, supporting Discovery Research in Mental Health and Neuroscience with novel computational approaches. Moreover, he is honorary lecturer for Theoretical Neuroscience at Technical University Darmstadt. He obtained his PhD in Neuroanatomy and brings more than 20 years of academic research experience. Dr. Butz-Ostendorf’s main research focus is on circuit understanding by means of computational neuroscience and neuroimaging.