Scientific discovery game significantly speeds up neuroscience research process

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April 24, 2017








Mozak employs citizen scientists and gamers to trace the intricate shapes of neurons, as shown by the purple lines above, and to speed fundamental brain science research.University of Washington

A new scientific discovery game is allowing video gamers to significantly speed up reconstructing the intricate architecture of brain cells, a fundamental task in 21st century brain science.
Mozak, a new game developed by the University of Washington Center for Game Science in partnership with the Allen Institute for Brain Science, enables citizen scientists to produce complete, three-dimensional reconstructions of neurons from different regions of the brain in animals and people. Figuring out the different shapes of nerve cells is a fundamental first step in analyzing how they assemble into the vast circuits that make up our brain.
To try your hand at reconstructing neurons for brain science, visit Mozak.
Since Mozak launched in November, the novice players — numbering roughly 200 a day — and Allen Institute neuroscientists have been able to reconstruct neurons 3.6 times faster than previous methods. The game provides a framework to greatly increase the number of people who can tackle this core task in neuroscience.
The players have also outperformed computers at tracing the complicated shapes of neurons. With minimal oversight, they can produce reconstructions that are 70 to 90 percent complete, compared to roughly 10 to 20 percent for the most effective computer-generated reconstructions.
The approach is similar to Foldit, a puzzle-solving game developed by the same UW team that employs video gamers to predict how proteins will fold.
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“New technologies have allowed us to create three-dimensional images of individual neurons, but our ability to catalog these brain cells, map their structure and understand the relationships between them has been shockingly slow,” said Center for Game Science director Zoran Popović, a professor at the Paul G. Allen School ...

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