What is VND?

UIUC

Channeling the power of computers, neuroscientists can model the brain expansively, coming close to simulating the actions and complexities of the nervous system. The rapid advancement of technology has led to exciting tools being developed in computational neuroscience. As someone interested in this field, I am particularly fascinated by a software program called Visual Neuronal Dynamics, or VND. 

VND is used to visualize, animate, and analyze models of neurons and their connections using 3D graphics. It was developed by Emad Tajkhorshid from UIUC and Anton Arkhipov from the Allen Institute in Seattle to allow neuroscientists to compile a large neural database and analyze large sets of neural data from any regular computer. It can be used to model a wide range of neural phenomena, making it a valuable tool for a variety of different research interests such as understanding how neurons encode and process information to how neurological disorders affect brain function.

Its visuals are amazing. I believe that anything that has a visual component can serve as an effective educational tool. VND is a cool way to display neuroscience concepts that students can find difficult. Colorful elements can definitely make learning much more enjoyable.

Overall, VND is a powerful and versatile computational neuroscience tool that is being used by researchers around the world to advance our understanding of the brain and nervous system. I am incredibly excited to see how it shapes neuroscience research in the years to come.

Sources:

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/tag/visual-neuronal-dynamics/

https://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vnd/#:~:text=VND%20is%20a%20neuronal%20visualization,charge%2C%20and%20includes%20source%20code.