> after the connectome of the worm were finished, despite it being quite small, for many years it proved to be impossible to simulate the dynamics, because of so many unknown parameters.
Apparently they have been able to simulate dynamics with the fruit fly connectome(?) [0]:
> researchers used the connectome to create a computer model of the entire fruit-> fly brain, including all the connections between neurons. They tested it by activating neurons that they knew either sense sweet or bitter tastes. These neurons then launched a cascade of signals through the virtual fly’s brain, ultimately triggering motor neurons tied to the fly’s proboscis — the equivalent of the mammalian tongue. When the sweet circuit was activated, a signal for extending the proboscis was transmitted, as if the insect was preparing to feed; when the bitter circuit was activated, this signal was inhibited. To validate these findings, the team activated the same neurons in a real fruit fly.
The researchers have taken a very simple idealized mathematical model of a neuron, assumed that all synaptic weights were the same, ignored modulation, ignored base level inhibitory inputs, and have shown that even in such a crude setting, for some important inputs (especially for a taste of sugar) the "logic" of how the inputs result in the activation of certain outputs still works, based on the connectome information alone.
This is certainly very cool. But as the authors themselves point out [1], much more work remains to be done to reproduce more subtle features of the dynamics of the system.
Apparently they have been able to simulate dynamics with the fruit fly connectome(?) [0]:
> researchers used the connectome to create a computer model of the entire fruit-> fly brain, including all the connections between neurons. They tested it by activating neurons that they knew either sense sweet or bitter tastes. These neurons then launched a cascade of signals through the virtual fly’s brain, ultimately triggering motor neurons tied to the fly’s proboscis — the equivalent of the mammalian tongue. When the sweet circuit was activated, a signal for extending the proboscis was transmitted, as if the insect was preparing to feed; when the bitter circuit was activated, this signal was inhibited. To validate these findings, the team activated the same neurons in a real fruit fly.
[0]: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03190-y