Connectome inference and cluster extraction from calcium imaging

Abstract

This is a study of calcium imaging recordings from the spontaneous activity in the habenula and telencephalon region in juvenile and dormant zebrafish. The zebrafish is a model organism that, with some genetic manipulation, allows for in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. The connectome for the two regions are not known. The association between two neurons is inferred from the correlation in activity, using partial correlation coefficients. The inferred connectomes show some consistancy across four different animals, but can not be classified as small-world networks. Neurons that spikes in synchrony are successfully located and sorted together in clusters, by using Pearson correlation coefficients. Their activity is analysed, and synchronous bursting across the two regions are found. Neurons with small or negative correlation are excluded from the analysis.