NeuroWiki

(As of: 2007-11-02 – Archive.org)

NeuroWiki is a place to discuss . There are already some such sites, but I believe that wikis are almost categorically superior to other forms of online discussion (see DiscussionBoardVsWiki). I feel they are especially conducive to quickly brainstorming new ideas and theoretical models.

NeuroWiki is also a guide to other online neuroscience resources. There are already such sites, but unlike other resource sites, wikis have LessRedundancy, and hence I believe that wikis are superior to other, centrally regulated forms of resource organization.

NeuroWiki is also a knowledge base of information about neuroscience. Here you will find short summaries and notes about many neuroscience topics, as well as longer summaries of current  topics.

The last two items can be summarized by saying that I am building NeuroWiki as I would build personal notes about the subject. If I find an interesting web site, or a group doing research in an area that I am interested in, I add the information to NeuroWiki rather than writing it down in a private file. Instead of taking notes on subjects like LTP or the organization of the HippoCampus, I just enter the notes into NeuroWiki.

However, NeuroWiki is not a textbook. We have good textbooks, and there is no point just duplicating the information in them. Some textbook-like information is duplicated in NeuroWiki because a nonlinear wiki makes a good reference (for example, serotonin? notes the metabolic pathway of serotonin production). Much more is duplicated for the purpose of sparking discussion (i.e. the stuff in LTP). But this sort of information is meant to be review for people who have a basic understanding of the neuroscience, not a first-time introduction.

-- BayleShanks