Fundamentals of Computational Neuroscience

Computational neuroscience is the theoretical study of the brain to uncover the principles and mechanisms that guide the development, organization, information processing, and mental functions of the nervous system. Known, but ill-defined as a field, not until the late-20th century has there been knowledge enough to establish computational neuroscience as a scientific discipline in its own right. With this in mind and given the complexity of the topic and its increasing importance in progressing our understanding of how the brain works, there is a need for an introductory text on this complex and (often assumed) impenetrable topic. This work is one of the first introductory books on this topic. It introduces the theoretical foundations of neuroscience with a focus on the nature of information processing in the brain. It covers the introduction and motivation of simplified models of neurons that are suitable for exploring information processing in large brain-like networks.