In this challenge our goal is to order neurons from the fly connectome in a maximally “feedforward” way. The high level motivation is gaining insights into the direction of information flow in the brain.
The FlyWire connectome is modeled as a directed graph G=(V,E) where V – nodes – represent neurons, and E – weighted edges – represent synaptic connections.
In this challenge, the goal is to “feed forward” sort the nodes of this directed graph so that the sum of edge weights pointing backward is minimized (or in other words, forward pointing edge weights maximized). Specifically, your goal is to produce an order O(V) -> {1, …, N} that assigns a unique number to each node in V, so that the sum of edge weights u -> v where O(u) < U(v) is maximized.
Prerequisites
This is a data analysis / optimization challenge, and it is open to everyone. Participants do not have to know anything about the Drosophila brain or connectomics. Data processing and some algorithmic skills should suffice to compete.
Data
Reference code
The baseline solution provided above was produced using this library (see source code here – self-contained, less than 250 lines including comments). You are welcome to alter the algorithm therein or implement your own.
How to submit solutions
Winners of the challenge will receive a special plaque from the FlyWire team at Princeton University, and will be invited to give a short presentation (optional).
Email your solution to arie@princeton.edu, including:
- A CSV file with 2 columns: Node ID, Order (same format as this)
- Your score – sum of weights of edges pointing forward
- A short explanation of how the improvement was achieved (method / main idea)
- Mention if it is ok to have your name displayed on the leaderboard and how
Submissions will be verified and leaderboard updated periodically, until end of September 2024.
There is no limit on number of submissions per participant. Only the best one will be shown.
For Leaderboard, more information and to enter, please visit https://codex.flywire.ai/app/mfas_challenge