In November 2022 the International Brain Laboratory has released an unprecedented Big Open data set with brain recordings. In an international collaboration between 12 different research groups neural activity in 194 different brain regions (that's basically all of them!) was recorded in mice performing a standardized decision-making task. The data contains activity of 32784 neurons, which allows, for the first time, to examine how activity in any part of the brain is related to sensory, cognitive, and motor processing. For the published data the Open Neurophysiology Environment (ONE) API is available to access and process the different types of data files. In this computer programming practical you will learn about the research questions surrounding this exciting dataset and how to access and process the data. First, we will study the available documentation about the data set and the provided API, and learn the basics about brain recordings. Second, we will access and process the data so that it can be analysed. Finally, we will apply modern data science methods (such as clustering, dimensionality reduction, or computational statistics) to analyse the data and learn about information processing in the brain.

Learning Outcomes

• obtain hands-on skills in accessing and processing of Big Open Data
• acquire relevant domain knowledge at the intersection of computer science and neuroscience
• become familiar with neural signals and how they are processed using data science methods
• visualize and interpret the results of data analysis

Examination

Exercises and reports during the semester

Enrollment

From 01/02/2026 to 01/03/2026, interested students can apply for a place in the lab course. The allocation of places will take place via the following central Moodle course of the faculty: https://moodle.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/course/view.php?id=62179.

The final allocation of places will take place by 16/03/2026 at the latest. Complete your binding registration by registering for the lab course via FlexNow. Please note that following the above steps is mandatory. Enrolment via FlexNow without prior registration via the central Moodle course is not permitted.