Modeling the neural basis of cognitive development

Quartz, S. R. (2003). In: Van Ooyen, A., ed. Modeling Neural Development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 291-313.

Abstract

Until recently, developmental modeling efforts at the systems level was frustrated by the lack of experimental data that would constrain the model. A number of new in vivo and in vitro probes now exist (two-photon laser scanning microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, for example) that can provide critical data regarding the dynamics of development. These new experimental technologies now make it possible to begin to construct computational models of brain development at the network and systems level.

My aim in this chapter is to sketch some of the fundamental issues and challenges that arise for computational modeling efforts at this level in light of the progress stemming from these new technologies. In particular, I focus on questions regarding the link between developmental processes at the cellular level and the systems level, with reference to human development where possible. As I will explore, one of the most intriguing issues that arise at this level concerns the use of computational modeling in understanding how structural brain development relates to functional, or cognitive, development.