About

Tom Anastasio is an associate professor in the University of Illinois Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and a full-time faculty member in the Beckman Institute NeuroTech group. His main professional interest is in using conceptual and computational methods to understand the complex and multilevel processes that underlie brain function, and to help synthesize the wealth of data produced by experimental neuroscience.

Contact

Thomas Anastasio
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
405 North Mathews Avenue
Urbana, Illinois 61801

phone: (217) 244-2895
e-mail: tja at illinois dot edu

Tutorial On

Neural Systems Modeling

Computational systems neuroscience is a beautiful topic that I enjoyed working on for many years. In the hope of spreading my enthusiasm for this topic I wrote a textbook entitled Tutorial on Neural Systems Modeling. The book combines neurobiology, mathematics, and computation and it is truly tutorial in that it provides a step-by-step guide to the main paradigms in neural systems modeling. The book is organized around computer programs (written in MATLAB) that both simulate a neural system and accomplish a useful computational task. By reading the text and running the programs the reader can see the how the observable properties of neurons are related to the functions of the nervous system. The book is published by Sinauer Associates, and all of the programs printed in the book are available for free download from the publisher-sponsored book website. Additional web resources are also available for course instructors, who can request a free examination copy from the publisher.

View more information on this textbook
Download companion program files

Book cover for Tutorial on Neural Systems Modeling, featuring an abstract painting.

Reviews & Commentary

"The author has done a great job of bringing a variety of models under one umbrella and going over them in detail. I like the fact that there is MATLAB code for hands-on learning. The mathematical details are also clearly explained. Students should have no problem understanding how these models work."
— Rajesh P. N. Rao, University of Washington, Seattle

"I am very impressed. Tom Anastasio has created something that has been needed for a long time—a textbook that makes the relevant aspects of neural networks accessible to neuroscience students, whose mathematics preparation may be limited. I like the way he has interwoven the theory, the math, the computer simulations, and the neurobiology."
— David Zipser, Emeritus, University of California, San Diego

"I like the level and style of presentation a lot. The MATLAB link is a huge plus, and one that makes all the computations come to life."
— Shihab Shamma, University of Maryland at College Park