Opinions diverge on whether mapping the synaptic connectivity of the brain is a good idea. Here we argue that albeit their limitations, such maps will reveal essential characteristics of neural circuits that would otherwise be inaccessible.
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Acknowledgements
Our work was supported by a Conte Center grant (US National Institute of Mental Health), the US National Institutes of Health, the Gatsby Charitable Trust and Center for Brain Science Harvard University. We thank D. Rodrigues for use of his rendering of his Twitter network and J. De Carlos for Cajal's drawing of the retina.
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Morgan, J., Lichtman, J. Why not connectomics?. Nat Methods 10, 494–500 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2480
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2480