Two review papers this week on autonomous systems – should be an inspiration for computational neuroscientists!

• Niven (2016) - Neuronal energy consumption- biophysics, efficiency and evolution. A review.
• Calabrese et al (2016) - The neural control of heartbeat in invertebrates. A cool autonomous system.
• Daur et al (2016) - The complexity of small circuits the stomatogastric nervous system. Another (perhaps more complex) autonomous system.

Some more patch clamp automation this week!

• Novak and Zahradnick (2005) - Computer-Aided Formation of the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Recording Configuration. An algorithm to identify pipette-cell configuration from current measurement.
• Kodandaramaiah et al (2016) - Assembly and operation of the autopatcher for automated intracellular neural recording in vivo. Looks pretty cool. Too bad it's not in Python!
• Campagnola et al (2014) - ACQ4 an open-source software platform for data acquisition and analysis in neurophysiology research. Python software for patch clamp (among other things); looks promising!
• Doose et al (2016) - Noisy Juxtacellular Stimulation In Vivo Leads to Reliable Spiking and Reveals High-Frequency Coding in Single Neurons. Stimulating a neuron extracellularly.
• Neto et al (2016) - Compartmentalized Microfluidic Platforms - The Unrivaled Breakthrough of In Vitro Tools for Neurobiological Research. Looks like an interesting review.

This week I got interested in automatic patch clamp. I would like to write an open source Python package to do that: contact me if you have relevant material or expertise! (eg controlling acquisition boards; video analysis; pressure control)

• Wu et al (2016) - Integration of autopatching with automated pipette and cell detection in vitro. Pretty cool stuff (code here). Unfortunate that there is no documentation, but at least it shows that automatic patch is possible.
• Perin and Markram (2016) - A Computer-assisted Multi-electrode Patch-clamp System. Only semi-automatic, but one cool idea: using a game controller to control the manipulators.
• Kolb et al (2016) - Cleaning patch-clamp pipettes for immediate reuse. Sounds amazing!
• Almog and Korngreen (2016) - Is realistic neuronal modeling realistic? Answer: no. Some good points in this review, in relation with a post I wrote some time ago and my recent review on single-compartment models.

This week many interesting reviews from a special issue of Current Biology on evolution of nervous systems (the first 6 papers):

• Tuthill and Wilson (2016) - Mechanosensation and Adaptive Motor Control in Insects.
• Schafer (2016) - Nematode nervous systems.
• Samrandache (2016) - Arthropod neurons and nervous system.
• Hochner and Glansman (2016) - Evolution of highly diverse forms of behavior in molluscs.
• Kristan (2016) - Early evolution of neurons.
• Warrant-(2016) - Sensory matched filters.
• Rojas et al (2011) - Differential Effects of Axon Initial Segment and Somatodendritic GABAA Receptors on Excitability Measures in Rat Dentate Granule Neurons. Modulation of threshold by axonal synapses.
• Eloundou-Mbebi et al (2016) - A network property necessary for concentration robustness. Sounds relevant for neural network robustness too.
• Crotty et al (2006) - Metabolic Energy Cost of Action Potential Velocity. About minimal energy consumption of axon conduction.
• Stein (2006) - Cell volume homeostasis- Ionic and nonionic mechanisms- The sodium pump in the emergence of animal cells. Is the primary function of he sodium pump cell volume homeostasis?